Make Believe
by Rose Stetson
Summary: Every time he came to visit, they felt like a real-life, normal family. But then, he would leave, wearing those dress blues that reminded her that they were still officers caught in the disastrous web of a forbidden love. Bridge between S8 and S9.
1. Emergency

**Make Believe**

_Three weeks after the end of Moebius II:_

The cell phone on the dashboard vibrated urgently, and Colonel Samantha Carter tapped her Bluetooth earpiece. "Colonel Carter," she greeted professionally.

"Colonel Carter, I'm Lieutenant Cleveland from the Las Vegas Police Department."

"Yes?" She said, surprised. "How may I help you?"

"Well, Colonel, there's been an accident. Cassandra Fraiser had you listed as her emergency contact."

She felt her heart pound. "What happened? Is she okay?"

"She was taken by ambulance to the community hospital. The other driver and the passenger in Miss Fraiser's car were both killed. So far, Miss Fraiser seems to be unconscious but stable according to what the paramedics said when I spoke to them last."

"I'll be right there." Sam said as she reached the Cheyenne Mountain Complex.

She bit her lip as she disconnected the call. She pressed the first speed dial.

"O'Neill."

"Sir, it's Carter." She began.

"What's wrong?" He asked, noticing the tone of her voice immediately.

"Cassandra's been in an accident. She was admitted into the hospital. The other two involved are dead."

"Take time off, Carter. Starting now." He said, instantly. "Anything I can do?"

"Not that I know of..." She said, honestly. "I have to pack and get a flight out there."

"I'll get you a flight while you go home and pack."

"Sir, I..."

"I insist, Carter."

"Thank you, sir."

"You're welcome."

She hung up the phone and started her car again as she prepared to return home.

-

Only a few hours later, she was hurrying down the corridors of University Medical Center in Clark County. "Cassandra Fraiser. I'm here to see Cassandra Fraiser." She told the nurse urgently.

"She's still in surgery, ma'am." The nurse said after conferring with her computer.

"Surgery?" Sam asked, paling.

"Please have a seat in the waiting room. I'll have someone come and talk to you when we have something new to report."

Sam inhaled and exhaled loudly as she left the nurse's station. She reached into her pocket for her cell phone. Without thinking about it, she pressed the send button to reach her commanding officer again.

"General O'Neill's office, Chief Master Sergeant Walter Harriman speaking."

"Chief, it's Colonel Carter. I need to speak to General O'Neill."

"Let me patch you through." He said, instantly.

A few moments passed before she heard his voice. "Carter?" He asked, urgently.

"Sir." She said, relieved.

"What's going on?"

"She's in surgery." She said, tearing up. "They won't tell me anymore than that."

"She'll be okay, Carter."

"You don't know that." She whispered, vulnerably.

"Carter, don't start talking like that." He said, seriously. "That's an order."

"Yes, sir." She said, trying to pull herself out of the depths of her imagination.

"She's going to be fine. She'll need you when she gets out of surgery, so why don't you take a deep breath and calm down?"

"Yes, sir." She agreed.

"Now, I've got to get back to my meeting. But if anything changes, don't hesitate to call."

"I won't." She assured.

"Want me to send Daniel or Teal'c down to keep you company?"

"That's not necessary, sir." She said after a moment. "I'll be all right."

"Okay." He finally accepted. "If you change your mind, they'll be on the next flight."

"I know." She said, seriously.

"Okay, Carter, take care."

"I will." She whispered as she closed the phone. It was going to be a long night.


	2. Relief

She was on her third cup of coffee when the doctor approached her. "I'm looking for Cassandra Fraiser's family."

"She doesn't have any." Sam said, standing. "But I'm her emergency contact, Samantha Carter."

"I'm Dr. Paul Stevenson." He said, extending his hand in introduction.

She shook it quickly before looking up at him expectantly. "What's going on with Cassandra?"

"She'll be all right. She had a few broken ribs, but we had to perform surgery on her knee."

"How badly was it damaged?"

"Well, it was a pretty nasty break." He admitted. "But we've put a pin in her leg, and with some physical therapy over the next few months, she should be back to normal."

Sam exhaled in relief. "When can I see her?"

"Right now if you'd like. She's still asleep because of the anesthetics."

"Of course." She said, nodding. "Which room is she in?"

"115."

"I need to make a phone call, and then I'll be right there." She promised.

He nodded. "Of course. I understand."

She picked up her phone, and dialed her speed dial.

"O'Neill."

"Sir, it's Carter."

"What's going on, Carter?" He asked, urgently. "It's been hours since you last called."

"I know, sir. I just met with the doctor."

"And?"

"Apparently, she has a few broken ribs and a badly broken leg."

"They did surgery on the leg?"

"Yes, sir."

He breathed a sigh of relief.

"She's apparently ready to see visitors; I mean, she's still asleep, but they said I could go in."

"Go, Carter. Thanks for the update."

"You're welcome, sir. You'll tell Daniel and Teal'c?"

"Of course."

"Thank you, sir."

"For what?"

She swallowed down tears. "For listening."

"Always."

Memories of the day her father died ran through her mind. It had been the comfort of his embrace that day which had helped her through the next few weeks. Now, she was back in a hospital with Cassandra.

"Want me to send someone down to be with you?" He asked, gently.

"I'll be fine." She said, swallowing down her emotion.

"Carter, your dad died two months ago, and you're back in a hospital. You don't need anyone?"

"No, sir. I'm fine." She said, stoically.

"Well, Daniel and Teal'c may want to come anyway."

"And they're welcome. Cassie will really appreciate the visitors."

"Well, I'll let you know if they're coming."

"Thank you, sir."

"Not a problem, Carter. I'll talk to you later."

"Good-bye, sir."

"Bye, Carter."

She closed the phone, and walked toward Room 115. She slowly opened the heavy door, and walked into the room.

Cassie lay on the bed in a white hospital gown. Her face was scratched with a few bandages on the more severe lacerations. Her leg was elevated carefully, and immobilized so that she couldn't damage it again.

Sam inhaled sharply at the sight. It must have been a terrible accident if the only survivor had been this badly hurt.

She walked over to the chair beside Cassie's bed, and sat down. She watched Cassandra as she'd watched her father only two months before. This time, however, the person over whom she kept vigil was expected to recover, and she had no strong embrace to comfort her. She sighed softly.

_Don't let the rules...stand in your way..._

It couldn't mean what she thought it meant, she thought to herself as she remembered her father's dying request.


	3. Surprise

_Two weeks later_

_-_

Sam rubbed her eyes with one hand as she walked out of Cassandra's hospital room.

"Coffee, Carter?" Someone asked as she felt a warm cup of coffee thrust into her unused hand.

"Thank you, sir." She said as she took a sip. As the fog of exhaustion lifted from her mind, she looked into Jack's eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"Hello to you too."

"Sorry," she apologized. "I just..." She paused. "Hello."

"How's our girl doing?"

"She's recovered enough from her knee surgery to start some minor physical therapy."

"That's great."

She sighed. "She doesn't want to do it."

He gave her a look of confusion.

"Her boyfriend, Shawn, was in the car, but he died."

"She's got survivor's guilt?"

"Not yet. Right now, she's a little depressed."

He nodded. "Understandable."

"Among his belongings, they found a diamond ring." She said, softly. "Apparently, they'd been getting pretty serious."

"That's rough." He admitted.

She nodded. "Death seems to follow that girl around."

He nodded, soberly.

She looked down at the coffee in her hand. "Sir, I should tell you...I'm planning on filling out the paperwork for a transfer to R&D. Cassie needs the help right now, and it's nearby."

He nodded slowly.

"I just didn't want you to be surprised."

"Well, thank you, Carter." He said, nodding. "But I wouldn't be the one receiving it."

"What?" She asked, confused.

"Well, not initially at least." He corrected. "Hammond retired."

"He did? That's great." She said, sipping at the coffee. Then, she looked back up at him as understanding dawned. "Oh...you're getting his job..."

He shrugged. "Part of the deal that the IOA made with the Pentagon."

"I see." She said, nodding. "Well, we'll miss you, sir."

"They'll miss you too, Carter."

"If they approve the transfer." She said with a shrug.

"I'll see that they do." He said, nodding. "I'll have that power now..."

"I guess that's true." She said, matter-of-factly.

"Besides, Daniel and Teal'c have both expressed interest in leaving too."

"What?" She asked, surprised.

"Yeah. The new ship, the _Daedelus,_ is trying to get a crew together. Daniel's been bugging me to go with for so long that since I'm leaving, I might as well say yes."

Sam laughed. "You're terrible, sir."

He shrugged.

"But what about Teal'c?" She asked, more seriously.

"Oh...that whole...Jaffa reorganization thing. They need a stable government, and he's on the Council, so he feels obligated to be there."

She nodded. "Makes sense."

"Yeah."

"I guess we're all going our separate ways." She said with a sigh.

"Yep."

"I know I should be used to it. I mean, until now, I hadn't had a team that stayed together for more than a few months or maybe a few years, depending on whether we were talking about wartime or peacetime. But either way, having the same four-man team, with a few modifications, for nearly eight years. That's almost unheard of."

He nodded. "Yeah. I know."

"It's still going to be hard though, sir." She admitted.

"Yep."

"I mean, you guys are almost like family to me." She said, inhaling softly.

"We'll see everyone again." He said, seriously.

"I know, but it won't be the same seeing everyone at some stupid barbecue."

"I mean, even if you get reassigned, you'll probably have to make some sort of appearance. You'll need to put some things in order in Colorado like signing a lease or a sale to your house, packing up and moving...things like that."

"I guess you have a point." She said with a sigh.

"You know Daniel and Teal'c and I will be there to help."

She managed a small half-smile. "Yes, sir. I know. Thank you."

"If you need anyone to come and help with Cassie, let me know." He said, seriously.

"I will." She promised.

"Can she have visitors?" He asked, looking back toward Cassandra's room.

"Yes, but not right now. She's in physical therapy right now."

"Right. I think you mentioned it earlier..."

She shrugged. "I might have."

He studied her. "Come on, Carter, let me get you something to eat."

"Oh, the coffee's fine." She assured.

"Carter, I insist."

She looked up at him before nodding, too tired to resist any longer. "All right."

He led her down the corridor to the hospital cafeteria. He ordered a Caesar salad for her and a baked potato for himself.

He sat beside her in the booth, offering her a glass of water and the salad. "Thank you, sir." She said, gratefully.

"No problem." He said, seriously. "I almost got you a diet Coke, but I figured that you'd had quite a bit of it lately."

"Not really, but with the coffee, I've hit my caffeine limit for the day." She said, playing with her salad somewhat mindlessly.

"How much sleep have you gotten since you got here, Carter?" He asked, concerned.

She shrugged. "Enough."

"How many hours per night, Carter?"

"I don't know...maybe three or four..."

"Okay, I'm sending you back to your hotel or apartment or wherever you're staying, and you're getting some sleep, okay?"

"I'm really fine..."

"Carter, you're practically cross-eyed because you're so tired."

"Sir, I'm fine." She insisted. "I've just...had some trouble sleeping..."

"I'll stay with Cassie." He said, seriously. "And I'll call Dr. Brightman and ask her to phone in a prescription for a sleep aid for you."

"Lydia Brightman has better things to do than phone in a prescription for me." She said, shaking her head.

"Carter, you can't keep running like this. Trust me, I know."

She inhaled and exhaled thoughtfully. "All right. I'll go get some Ambien or something, and I'll be back after a good night's rest."

"Good."

"But I want you to call if Cassie needs anything."

"I doubt that she will, but if she does, you'll be the first to know."

"Thank you." She said, taking a bite of her salad.

"You're welcome, Carter."

"So...what are you doing here?" She finally asked again.

"I start my new assignment facility tour in a couple of days."

"Already?" She asked, surprised.

"Hammond's retirement was a long time in coming, but my promotion wasn't." He said with a shrug.

"Ah." She said, nodding. "So, your tour begins with Area 51?"

He nodded. "And since I knew that you were probably wearing yourself ragged, I thought I'd stop in and check on you and Cassie."

She managed a small smile. "Well, thank you. It was a welcome and refreshing surprise."

"That was the point." He said with a grin as he finished his potato.

"Well, I guess I'm headed to the hotel to take a nap." She said as she finished her salad.

He nodded. "Good idea."

"Call me if I'm not back before five."

"No promises."

"If I don't get back by five, I'll never be able to sleep tonight." She clarified.

"Oh. In that case, I might." He teased.

She chuckled as she stood. "I'll go say goodbye to Cassie then."

"Cassie's still in physical therapy, isn't she?"

She grimaced as she remembered that he was right. Still, she didn't want to leave without saying something to her. "Probably."

"Look, I'll see her when she's finished. If she isn't so distracted by my presence that she asks where you are, I'll tell her."

She chuckled softly. "You have a deal."

"Great." He grinned.

She reached for her tray, but he took it from her. "I got it, Carter. Now, go rest."

"Sir, I..."

"Ah!" He protested.

"I'm leaving." She assured.

She turned to leave.

"Carter?"

She turned back. "Yes, sir?"

"She's going to be fine."

"Yes, sir." She said with a shaky smile and a determined nod.


	4. Depressed

Feeling much better rested after several hours of sleep, Sam returned to the hospital to relieve Jack. She knocked on the door as she entered to alert them of her presence.

"What's going on?"

"We're playing chess." Cassie said somewhat monotonously as she moved her chess piece. Sam sighed as she saw the blankness of the expression on her face.

"Get enough sleep, Carter?" Jack asked, not looking up from the game.

"Yes, sir." She said, nodding. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Sam recognized the magnetic board as the board with which she and Cassie had played chess during her recovery from the illness that Nirrti had bestowed upon her people.

"Looks like you've got a good game going." She said, walking over and looking at the board.

"Jack's letting me win." Cassie said with a sigh. "I'm not a little girl anymore. I can handle a real game."

Sam and Jack exchanged glances before Sam swallowed and looked back at Cassandra. "Well, I have some good news if you'd like to pause the game."

"I'd like to just stop the game." Cassie muttered.

"What's the good news, Carter?"

"Cassie can come home tomorrow if everything keeps going as well as it has been." She said with a smile as she looked over at Cassie.

"Cool."

"I thought maybe I could stay in your apartment and help you out for the next little while." Sam continued.

"Sounds like a good idea to me." Jack said, nodding.

"Whatever."

Sam felt like she wanted to cry. Cassie was normally so much more vibrant than this.

Jack looked at her, and then he looked at Cassandra. "Hey, I say we celebrate by bringing you some nice take-out. Sound good?"

She shrugged, looking out the window somewhat absently.

"Chinese, Italian, burger and fries, whatever you want, we'll get it. My treat." Jack continued.

"Whatever."

He bit the inside of his cheek before he looked back at Sam. "Why don't you come with? I'm not as familiar with the area as you are."

She opened her mouth to protest, but the look in his eye stopped her from doing so. "Okay."

She looked at Cassie. "I'll be back in an hour – tops."

"Have fun." She said, listlessly.

Sam sighed as she followed Jack out of the hospital room.

"No wonder you're tired." Jack said as they got out of earshot.

"What?" She asked, looking over at him.

"Depression is exhausting." He said, seriously. "No wonder you haven't been sleeping well."

She shrugged. "It's Cassie. She'll pull out of it."

"Is she seeing anyone about it?"

"What like a psychiatrist?"

He nodded.

"I think she's had a few rounds with one of the psychiatrists on duty in the psych ward, but other than that..."

"Maybe you should get her a regular appointment with someone."

"I'll try." She said, nodding.

"Is there a therapist at her school? Maybe that would be the best way to get her the help that she needs."

"I said I'd try." She snapped.

He was instantly quiet, and her lips parted as she gasped in surprise. "I'm sorry, sir. I just..."

"You've been under a lot of stress, Carter. It's okay."

"Still..."

"We should get dinner. Any preference?"

"Cassie likes Thai food."

"Then we'll see what comes up on the GPS." He said, leading her out to the car.

He opened the door to the car for her, and she hesitated before she looked over at him. "I...I really am sorry, sir."

"I know, Carter." He said, seriously. "And I also know that you have a lot on your plate right now. Which is why I suggested that you come with me to get take-out. I think you could use a little more of a break from Cassie."

She felt tears moisten her eyes, and he stepped forward to give her a hug. "I know, Carter." He whispered as he held her tightly.

"It's just...so hard..." She sobbed.

"She is going to be okay, Sam. She just needs a little extra TLC. And you're the perfect person to give it to her."

Sam swallowed her tears as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and nodded. "I guess so..."

"I know so." He assured. "You were the first person she trusted, and ever since, you two have had a bond."

She managed a small smile. "I suppose that's true."

"Is there anything I can do for you while I'm here?" He asked, studying her closely.

She shook her head.

"You sure? It can't be easy dealing with this in the middle of your own stuff. I mean, you broke up with Pete, your dad..."

"I'll be okay." She assured as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "Taking care of Cassie is helping."

"You sure?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

He studied her, and she squirmed beneath the weight of his gaze. "What?"

"Just checking."

"Let's go. I told Cassie we'd be back in an hour, and we've spent ten minutes talking."

"Sam, she's a big girl. She might need the space just as much as you do."

Sam swallowed as she looked at the rental car. "Let's go."

Jack sighed. He really needed to find a way to help her relax. If only he knew how to do that.


	5. Relax

Sam entered the hospital early the next morning. For some reason, knowing that she didn't have to shoulder the burden Cassie's depression and recovery alone had helped sleep better than she'd slept since before her father died.

She walked into Cassandra's hospital room to find Jack helping her into a wheelchair.

"Sir!" She cried, surprised.

"Carter." He greeted with a nod.

"What are you doing here?"

"Springing our girl." He said with a grin.

Even Cassie had a smile on her face, and Sam was surprised. She hadn't seen Cassie smile since before the accident, and even that had been over a video chat line a few weeks before.

"Jack said he has a surprise for us."

"A surprise?" Sam asked with eyebrows raised.

"Yep."

"What kind of surprise?"

He mimicked locking his lips, and she rolled her eyes goodnaturedly at his childishness.

A nurse entered the room. "Now, Miss Fraiser, I need you to sign these release forms." She said, offering a clipboard full of triplicate sheets to the young woman.

Cassie made quick work of the papers before she looked up at Jack. "I think I'm ready for the surprise, Jack."

He chuckled as he turned to Sam. With a shake of his head, he sighed. "Children..."

"Young adult." Cassie corrected.

"So sorry..." He said, rolling his eyes with a chuckle.

Sam smiled, grateful that Jack had been able to work his magic on Cassandra.

"I have something for you." He said, thrusting an envelope into her face.

She looked at him, surprised. "Sir?"

"There's one part of the surprise that's for you. We'll just watch."

She gave him a strange look as she opened the envelope.

She didn't see the eagerness in Cassie's demeanor, which signaled the young woman's involvement in this part of the surprise.

Sam reached into the envelope and retrieved a glossy piece of paper. She studied the ticket for a moment before her eyes widened and her lips parted in a gasp. "Sir!"

He grinned as a camera flashed. She looked up to find Cassie holding a camera with a grin on her lips.

"You knew about this?" She asked, waving the "Race Track Tour" ticket.

"Yeah. But that's not even the best part." Cassie said, excitedly.

"What?" She asked, surprised.

"Only another part of the surprise..." Jack said, smugly as he drove Cassie's wheelchair out to the rental SUV he'd been driving.

"What part of the surprise?" Sam asked, hurrying after them.


	6. Race

If Samantha Carter thought she'd experienced thrill and exhilaration before, she'd been mistaken.

If she'd thought that Jack O'Neill had only known her as well as her former fiances had known her, she had been mistaken.

"Next!" The tour guide called.

Sam stepped toward the race car with a deep inhale. She looked back up to see Jack and Cassie waving excitedly at her.

She waved back before she pulled on the helmet, and listened to the instructions once more.

A moment later, she was in the car, ready to experience the exhilaration of race car drivers.

She received a thumb's up from the tour guide, and she put her foot on the gas pedal, quickly gaining speed as she raced around the track.

She felt so free as she took the car to its limits. Her heart pounded strongly in her chest. She felt like time had extended so that every second felt like a minute, and every minute felt like an hour. She was going so fast that she was certain she could have flown if she'd had the desire.

Jack had been exactly right, she thought with wonder. He'd known her better than all of her fiances combined.

She zoomed around the track three times before the tour guide signaled for her to slow down and eventually stop. She couldn't stop smiling even after they'd taken the helmet off, and shown her to the exit.

"Have fun, Carter?" Jack asked as he saw her.

"That was fantastic!" She said with a grin. "Amazing! How did you know I liked to race?"

"I saw the look on your face when you and Warrick were getting ready for that race last year. I figured this would be the next best thing."

She blushed as she realized how transparent she'd been.

Cassie had a small, but sober, smile on her face. "You looked good out there."

Sam grinned somewhat embarrassed. "I used to practice my driving in those big arena parking lots when I was a teenager. I was positive that if I wasn't an astronaut, I'd be a Nascar driver."

Jack chuckled. "Lunch for the ladies?" He asked as he prepared to wheel Cassie back to the car.

"Sounds good." Sam said with a grin. "I'm starving!"


	7. Moving

_One month later:_

Sam groaned as she opened the door to her house. The twelve-hour drive from Nevada had been exhausting, and tomorrow, she would get to prepare her house for moving.

She closed the door as her cell phone rang. She quickly reached into her pocket, and pulled it out. "Carter."

"Hey, Carter."

Sam grinned. "Hello, sir."

"I called to see how Cassie was doing."

"Oh, she's doing better." She said as she sat down on the couch and slipped her shoes off. "Her physical therapist is really pleased with her progress, and next week she's going to be put in a walking cast."

"Wow. That's great."

"Yeah." She said with a tired smile as she rested the back of her head on the couch.

"You sound tired."

"I just got to the house in Colorado." She admitted. "I have some packing to do and a real estate agent to see."

"Ah." He said, nodding. "When did your flight get in?"

"I didn't fly. I drove."

"Oh?"

"Yeah." She said, nodding. "I needed my car so that I could get a few of the things I'd forgotten the first time I went out to Nevada."

"Like what? You could have the movers take everything."

"Sir, it's a few personal things that will make my apartment more like home. And with the way that airlines are charging for bags these days, I figured I'd just drive."

"Ah. So, you want a raise?"

She chuckled. "Sir."

"I'm joking." He laughed. "So, you need a raise."

She chuckled. "For the first time in about ten years, I have to worry about paying for more than a quarter of my expenses out of pocket. No more hiding out at the base."

"Carter! I never knew you had an inner Scrooge."

She laughed. "You'd be surprised. I'm still paying off Orlin's experiments."

They laughed together for a moment. "Hey, Carter, why don't I bring some beer, some pizza, and the guys over? I mean, it's only seven, and Teal'c's not leaving until tomorrow."

"What?" She asked, surprised. "I thought you'd be in DC by now."

"Not yet. I leave next Friday."

"That would be great." She said, honestly.

"Wonderful. I'll call them, and unless something changes, we'll be there in about half an hour."

"Thank you, sir."

"No problem, Carter."

-

The doorbell rang forty minutes later, waking Sam from an impromptu nap. "Coming..." She called as she stood up.

She tried to look awake as she opened the door. "Hey, come on in." She invited as she saw Jack, Daniel and Teal'c standing on her porch.

"Carter, are you awake?" Jack asked somewhat amused.

"Yeah..." She chuckled. "I guess I fell asleep sometime between the time you called and the time you guys showed up."

"I told you that we were going to be late if we picked up the pizza." Daniel groaned. "We should have just told them to deliver it."

"No, you're fine, guys." She said, shaking her head. "It was just a long day."

"That's what happens when you drive cross-country by yourself." Jack said as he brought the pizza and beer into the kitchen.

"You drove?" Daniel asked, shocked.

"Yes, Daniel." She said, shooting a pointed look toward her commanding officer. "I drove. It was more economical and flexible. This way if I need to take some things with me, then I can do it. Or if I need to stay for an extra day or leave a day early, I can still do that."

"There is a reason they refer to Colonel Carter as a genius, Daniel Jackson." Teal'c said, leaning his head to his archaeologist friend ever so slightly. The look on his face told Sam that he was somewhat amused by the whole interchange, and truth be told, she'd been amused as well.

"Right..." Daniel chuckled.

They all laughed for a moment before Teal'c looked at Sam. "How does Cassandra Fraiser fare?"

She inhaled and exhaled somewhat noisily as she prepared to answer the question. "She's doing a little better."

"What's going on?"

"Well, right now, she's in physical therapy everyday. One of her former roommates offered to take her while I was out of town getting everything ready for the move."

"That was nice."

She nodded. "But she's also seeing the school therapist once a week. It's helping a little, but she's still a bit depressed."

"It's hard to lose someone you love." Daniel said, soberly.

"And to be unusually immobilized in addition." Sam said, seriously.

They nodded again. "But she wanted me to be sure and tell you all that the phone calls and flowers have been welcome and comforting."

"I'll see if I can't swing down and visit her before the _Daedelus_ leaves in a couple of weeks." Daniel said seriously.

"She would love it." She said with a smile. "And so would I."

He grinned. "Then, consider it done – assuming, of course, that I could get the time off from my boss..."

"You mean the slave-driver?" Sam asked with a teasing smile.

"Hey! Hey!" Jack protested, goodnaturedly. "I'm not that bad!"

Teal'c looked at his friend before stoically returning his focus to the center of the room. "Indeed."

They all laughed heartily before Sam looked around the room. "I'm going to miss these team nights." She admitted.

"As am I." Teal'c agreed.

"Me too." Daniel said, nodding.

"Same here." Jack admitted.

"Maybe we can put something together when Daniel has leave from Atlantis."

Jack looked over at Daniel who was grinning from ear to ear. "If he ever leaves Atlantis."

They all laughed.

"Well, Jack, it took you long enough to let me go."

"I told you! I needed you here!" He protested.

"He's got a point, sir." Sam laughed. "You just wanted him around to give him grief."

"Which helps me relax, and therefore it was necessary." He winked.

She chuckled. "Whatever you say, sir."

"Anyone want any more beer?" Jack asked as he stood.

"Sure." Daniel said, nodding.

"Still half-full." Sam said with a chuckle.

"T? More juice?"

"I am fine." He said, seriously.

He walked into the kitchen to get some more beer, and Sam looked over at Daniel. "It's so weird to see the team splitting up."

He nodded. "Yeah."

"I mean, I hate to say it, but you've been in and out of the team like a yo-yo while the rest of us stayed together." She said with a lighthearted shrug.

"I'm so glad we can joke about my deaths." Daniel teased.

Sam shrugged with an amused smile. "If you can't laugh about it, then there's not much left." She chuckled as Jack got back. "Did I miss something?" He asked, noticing Sam's slightly wicked smile.

"No." She said, shaking her head with a grin as he returned to sit beside her.

"Ah."

"Well, if any of you find yourselves in Vegas, you've got a place to stay." She said as she took another sip of her own beer.

"Same in DC." Jack added.

"And Atlantis." Daniel said with a grin.

Jack and Sam looked at one another before they turned their amused smiles to him.

"Never mind." He said, shaking his head as they laughed.

"You will be welcome at my home on Dakara." Teal'c assured.

"Thank you." Sam said with a small smile. "But I'm not sure when I'll go back through the Gate."

"That's right. You're staying Earth-bound like this slacker." Daniel said, motioning to Jack.

"Slacker!" Jack protested loudly.

Sam laughed heartily, grateful for this one last chance to be with the team all together again. As Daniel and Teal'c began talking about the work which they would be performing off-world, Sam looked over at her commanding officer and best friend. "Thank you, sir." She said, softly.

He saw the sincerity in her eyes and nodded. "Anything for you, Carter. You know that."


	8. Lunch

Sam was exhausted by eleven the next morning. With all of the movers who had begun boxing up the items in her home.

They'd been careful enough, but Samantha Carter had never been one who appreciated being in transition. It made her more nervous than a band of Jaffa foot soldiers.

Her cell phone rang, and she answered it, glad to be distracted from her nerves. "Carter."

"Hiya, Carter."

"Sir?" She asked, surprised.

"Who else calls you Carter?" He asked with a chuckle.

She grinned. "You're right. For everyone else, it's either Sam or Colonel."

"Precisely." He laughed.

"What can I do for you, sir?" She asked in a considerably brighter mood.

"I was wondering if you might be free for lunch. Teal'c left for Dakara..."

"Already?" She interrupted, looking at her watch. "I wanted to be there for that."

"Sorry, Carter. There really wasn't any fanfare. And he said last night that he wanted to good-bye there at your house."

"I know..." She said with a sigh. "But it was my one chance to leave limbo-land."

"Limbo-land?" He asked with a chuckle.

"It seems like everything's in transit, and while I'm excited to spend the time with Cassie, I really don't want to move."

"I hear you!" He laughed. "But that brings me back to my earlier question. Are you free for lunch?"

"With you and Daniel?" She asked. "Sure."

"Not Daniel." He corrected. "Daniel's on a mission with SG-3, and my last day at the SGC was yesterday."

"I thought you were leaving on Friday..."

"Yeah. That's when the plane leaves the tarmac."

"I see. You have a few days' leave to try and pack up..."

"You got it."

"Lunch would be good, sir." She said, biting the bullet.

"Pick you up in an hour?"

"Unless you want to meet me there..."

"Your house is on the way."

"You have something in mind?"

"Well, the ban against us at O'Malley's has been lifted."

She grinned. "Okay. And while we're there, I'll kick your butt at pool."

"I don't think so."

"Wanna bet?" She asked with a chuckle. "I still remember that trick shot..."

He laughed. "I'll pick you up in an hour, and we'll talk then."

"Sounds good, sir." She chuckled.

It wasn't until she hung up the phone that she realized she was going on a date with her commanding officer.

D'oh! She thought to herself as she subconsciously hurried to the bedroom to choose what she was going to wear.


	9. O'Malley's

The house was strangely quiet when Jack arrived to pick Sam up an hour later. He knocked on the open door. "Carter?"

"Coming!" She called from within the house.

He waited outside in his jeans, white tee, and black leather jacket as she walked out of the bedroom, dressed in jeans, a multicolored blouse, and a tailored tan leather jacket. "Hey." She said with a grin.

"You look nice, Carter."

"Thanks." She said with a grin. "This...this is nothing..."

Or it would have been if nothing had been code for the mini-fashion show she'd held in her bedroom, she thought with a mental grimace.

"You ready, then?"

She nodded. "Yes, sir. I am."

"Excellent." He said with a grin before he looked at the empty house. "Where'd the movers go?"

"Lunch, actually." She chuckled as she closed and locked the door.

"I hear it's that time again." He laughed, comfortably.

"Again?" She teased. "I thought it only came once a week."

He chuckled. "You would."

She shrugged with a light blush. "The Gate doesn't spin on its own."

"Isn't that the truth?" He asked as he opened the truck door for her.

She chuckled as she got into the truck.

He hurried around to the other side, and hopped in. "So, Carter, are you selling or renting?"

"Oh, selling. Definitely." She said, seriously. "I don't want to have to worry about renting – even if I do end up coming back to the SGC anytime soon."

"I know the feeling." He said, seriously.

"So, you're selling too?"

He nodded.

"Have you found any interested parties yet?"

"Not yet, but I have a realtor working on it."

She nodded. "Well, I'm actually signing the papers tomorrow after the movers are all finished."

"Really? Already?"

She shrugged. "It's a small place, and I've made a few upgrades, but nothing fancy."

"Well, still...it sold quickly. You must be doing something right." He said with a grin as they pulled into the O'Malley's parking lot.

"Or at least my realtor did." She chuckled as he parked.

He chuckled softly as they got out of the car.

"Do you know if they still have that fence we scaled last time we came here?" She asked, looking around, curiously.

He chuckled. "I have to admit...that was impressive. I mean, you just sailed over it."

She blushed with a chuckle. "Well, I did high-jump in high school."

"Really?" He asked, surprised as he opened the door to the bar and grill for her.

"Yeah." She said with a chuckle. "It was my Father's idea – to prepare me for the exhilaration of being an astronaut."

"Jacob?"

She nodded seriously.

"I knew I liked that guy."

Sam smiled, though her smile was somewhat tempered with the memory of her deceased father. "Yeah. He had a strange side." She finally chuckled affectionately.

Jack gently touched her back, forcing her to look back at him in surprise. "Jacob was a good man." He said, seriously. "You're not the only one who misses him."

"Thank you, sir." She said, managing a grateful smile.

"No problem, Carter." He said, allowing his hand to linger there for a moment.

"Table for two?" The maitre d' asked, causing Jack to pull his hand away from her.

"Yeah. Two." He nodded.

"Follow me, please." He said, leading them to a small table after retrieving two menus.

"Thank you."

They sat down at the table, and Sam looked at the menu. "Do you remember what we ordered last time we came here?" She asked somewhat amused.

"Oh yeah." He grinned.

"I think I'll stick with, uh, one steak."

He chuckled. "With a diet soda?"

"Of course." She laughed. "I told you, I like the taste!"

He chuckled. "Well, just don't hustle a group of guys, and I won't have to get us kicked out for fighting."

She grinned. "I'll try, sir," she laughed. "Though, to be fair, it wasn't my fault. I was flirting with one of the guys who wanted to beat Daniel up."

"Right...I forgot..." He said, shaking his head. "Wasn't he surprised when you kicked his butt..."

"Wouldn't he be surprised to know that I could have kicked his butt even if I hadn't been superhero..." She chuckled.

"Level three hand-to-hand combat." He said, nodding.

"Which has come in handy more than a few times in my life." She said, seriously.

"Yeah." He said, nodding.

"Sir..." She began.

"Carter?"

"Should we really be doing this?" She asked, looking around the restaurant somewhat uncomfortably.

"Doing what? Going to a farewell lunch as coworkers?"

"Is that what we're doing?" She asked, biting the inside of her cheek uncomfortably.

"Is that what you want to be doing?" He asked, evenly.

She wanted to tell him. She wanted to spit it out right then and there. They wouldn't be working together everyday. Who would know if they spent a few passionate moments together once in a while?

"Uh...yeah...friends and coworkers sharing one final meal together before they move to opposite ends of the country." She finally nodded.

"Reminiscing about old times." He continued.

She remembered what else had happened with those damn armbands, and what had happened afterward.

"_I didn't leave because...I care about her..."_

"Exactly." She said, forcing a smile to her lips. "Um...getting kidnapped by bad guys..."

"Kicking their butts..."

"Saving the world..."

"All in a days' work."

"That doesn't have to end here." She finished.

"Exactly." He said, nodding. "You need anything, you can still call me."

"Backatcha." She said with an affectionate, but somewhat sad, smile.

"Just two friends saying 'good luck with the move'." He said, nodding once again.

"Precisely."

"May I get you something to drink?"

"I'll have a beer, and she'll have a diet Coke."

Oh, yeah, this wasn't a date...


	10. Visit

_Three weeks later_

The knock on the door, caught Samantha Carter by surprise. "Coming!" She called as she walked over to the door.

She peeked through the peephole only to pull away in surprise after she saw the gray-haired man in khakis and a t-shirt. "General O'Neill?" She asked herself in surprise.

She opened the door. "Hi, sir." She greeted with a smile. "This is a surprise."

"I had the weekend off, and thought I'd come to visit you and Cassie." He said with a shrug.

"She'll be glad to see you." Sam said with a grin as she motioned for him to enter.

"Yeah, I stopped by to see her, but she wasn't at her apartment. They said she'd moved out. I figured she'd moved in with you."

Sam nodded. "My new place is a ranch-style, and so it was easier for her to get around while she's healing."

"Makes sense." He said, nodding.

"Besides, she needs the extra support..." She said as she closed the door.

"I believe it." He said as he looked around the house. "Nice place."

"Thanks." She said with a grin. "Do you want a tour?"

"Why not?" He said with a shrug.

"Cassie's at the movies with some friends." She explained, realizing that he was probably wondering where the college student was. "So for the next few hours, it's just going to be you and me."

"Ooh...fun..." He teased.

She chuckled as she walked down the hallway. "This is Cassie's room." She said, pointing to a door. "Across the hall is the bathroom."

He poked his head into the bathroom. "Nice."

"Thank you." She said as she moved a little further down the hallway. She opened a door. "This is the guest room."

He looked at the small, yet comfortable, guest room. With a Queen-size bed, a dark mahogany armoire, and a small vanity, it was somewhat cozy and inviting.

"You've got great taste." Jack said, seriously.

"The room's yours if you want it." She offered.

"Nah. I'll get a place in town."

"On a Friday night in Vegas?" She asked with a raised eyebrow. "You'll pay an arm and a leg, and you know it."

"Carter..."

"I offered the use of my guest room to any of the team who needed it." She said, soberly. "That didn't exclude you."

"Fine." He said with a wry smile. "You're not going to accept 'no', are you?"

She shook her head. "No, sir. I'm not."

"Then I'm staying with you and Cassie." He said with a grin.

She managed a smile. Something about this felt really good, and something about this felt really wrong.

"So...this next room is..."

"The study." She said, shaking the thoughts from her mind.

"Ah."

"And across from it is my bedroom. In case you need something."

"Nice place." He said again as he walked back to the living room.

"Thanks." She said with a grin.

He appeared in the kitchen, waiting for her. "So, what do you do in this town on a Friday night for fun?"

"Fun?" She asked with a nervous smile.

"Yeah. You do know what that is, don't you?"

"As I recall, sir, you and I have different definitions of the word 'fun'..."

"Carter..."

"I had plans to open a bottle of wine, read some reports, maybe watch a movie, and then...go to bed..."

"Ah...the nightlife in Vegas..." He said, shaking his head.

"I guess I'm just not used to being home on Friday nights." She said with a shrug. "Or, for that matter, living in an area where I can...go out...I mean, the nightlife in Colorado Springs isn't exactly something to brag about."

He chuckled. "Yeah, I guess so..."

"Besides...what did you expect?" She asked, curiously. "Dinner and dancing?"

"Sounds good to me." He said with a grin.

She was prepared to chuckle before she looked at him in surprise. "Seriously? You want to go to dinner and dancing?"

"Why not?" He asked, somewhat amused. "There's nothing wrong with a couple of friends or colleagues going to a bar, letting their hair down, and having some fun."

"Fun..." She said, studying him closely.

"Yes, Carter. Fun."

She bit her lip before she looked at what he was wearing. "I don't think that will exactly be the best outfit for what you want to do, sir."

"Okay, firstly, if we're going clubbing, you can't call me 'sir'."

She tensed slightly.

"Look...I'm here for the weekend as a friend to you and Cassie." He said, seriously. "No uniforms."

"Okay, Jack." She inhaling as she prepared herself to go out with him.

"And secondly, I have a bag. You'd be surprised what I could be ready to do." He said, walking to the door. "I'll be back in a minute."

She felt a shiver run down her spine as she watched him leave. This night would be one to remember.


	11. Clubbing

Sam walked out of her room, dressed in knee-high boots, a leather skirt, a sequined halter, and a jacket. With bangle bracelets, hooped earrings, evening makeup and a teased hairdo to match, she looked like she'd been less than truthful about her Friday nights.

"Too much?" She asked as she saw Jack in the living room dressed in tight leather pants and a button down shirt. He looked so good...

"Nope." He said with a charming smile. "You look good. A little more experienced at this whole...clubbing thing...than you made me believe..."

She shook her head. "Nope. I haven't used these since..."

Bittersweet memories of karaoke nights with Janet Fraiser flooded her memory.

"Since?"

She swallowed. "For a year or so..." She finished.

"Since Janet?" He asked, looking over at her.

"We used to have girls' night out whenever I was on Earth." She admitted.

He nodded slowly. "The guys and I used to go places too. Neither Daniel nor I were particularly interested in dating, and T never talked about his love life, but every so often, if we were bored and on Earth...we'd go places and do stuff..."

"Like where?" She asked, eager to erase her bittersweet memories from the front of her mind.

He coughed. "Uh...places..."

"What? Strip clubs?" She asked with a teasing smile.

"Nope." He said, shaking his head. "But...uh...you remember that time we went to your house? We brought pizza and Star Wars, but you had a date?"

"With a newly corporeal Orlin, by the way." She laughed. "Yes, I remember."

"Teal'c told me that he'd heard about some place where "humans did battle in a ring of jello"."

"Jello wrestling?" She asked, somewhat amused.

"It was fun. And we kept going back every so often."

She chuckled softly. "This will be different for both of us, I suppose."

"Yeah." He said with a smile. "But we're not alone."

"Nope." She said, looking over at him with an uncharacteristically shy and somewhat flirtatious smile. "We're not alone."

-

"Pina colada?" Jack asked, offering Sam the drink as he approached where she stood at the bar.

"Thanks, Jack." She said with a smile.

"Why aren't you dancing?"

"I'd need a few more drinks before I could do that." She laughed as she took a sip of the drink.

"That can be arranged." He teased.

She chuckled.

"So, anyone here that catches your eye?" He asked, looking over the rim of his glass of scotch at her.

She bit her lip as she looked around the room. "Actually, there are some rather attractive men here..."

He had to bite down a little jealousy as he took another drink. He'd opened that can of worms.

"What about you?" She asked, looking over at him.

"Oh...you know...there are a lot of younger women here." He teased. "Can't find a woman my age."

She raised an eyebrow. "When has that stopped you before?"

He choked on the drink, and she offered him a napkin. "I just meant...Kerri...she was a few years younger than you, wasn't she?"

"Oh. Right. Yes. She was." He stammered.

"Are you okay?" She asked, studying him closely.

"Fine." He said, coughing uncomfortably.

"Look, do you want to dance? I mean, if you want to dance, just...ask someone."

"Okay, Carter..."

"Sam." She corrected.

"Huh?"

"If I can't call you 'sir', then you can't call me Carter."

"Touche." He said, nodding. "Okay, Sam...would you like to dance?"

"Me?"

"You're the only one I know, and I'd like to start out in at least a little bit of a comfort zone."

She grinned as she set her drink down on the bar. "Okay, Jack. Let's dance." She said, offering him her hand.

"Are you sure?"

"You asked, didn't you?" She asked with a small, amused smile. "Did you think I'd say no?"

"Actually, Carter..."

"Ah, ah, ah!" She said, shaking her head.

"Sam...no, I didn't think you'd say yes."

She chuckled. "Well, I did. Are you going to chicken out?"

"Chick...en?" He stammered, surprised. "Of course not! I didn't make two-star general for nothing!"

She chuckled as he took her hand and guided her to the dance floor as the music slowed a little. "I don't do that...grinding stuff...everyone else was doing..." He admitted as he took one of her hands in his and wrapped the other around her waist.

"You lucked out. It's a slow song." She chuckled as she took her hand away from his and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I've been out of the game for a while..." He admitted as he wrapped his arms around her waist to balance her arms around his neck. "Sorry..."

"Don't apologize." She said with a small smile. "You're doing a great job. Drinks, dancing...it's great."

"You're much more in your element here than I am." He said, wryly.

"Can I tell you a secret?" She asked, leaning in somewhat flirtatiously.

"Uh...sure..." He said, swallowing. She was way too attractive right now for his good.

"It's an act." She chuckled. "There's a reason my last fiance was a set-up...by my brother."

"Do you miss him?"

Sam swallowed, somewhat vulnerably. "What?"

"Do you miss Pete?"

"I...uh...he, well..." She stammered. "Can we not talk about that?"

"Sorry."

"It's okay. I'm just...I'm trying not to talk about that..." She said, managing a small smile. "Especially since it only happened a few weeks ago..."

"Yeah. Bad move on my part," Jack said, apologetically. "Sorry."

"No problem." She said, shaking her head. "We're having fun."

"You know, we can go back to your place and talk about it...if you want..."

"No, that's fine..."

"Come on, Carter." Jack said, pulling away from her and tugging on her hand. "Let's go. We'll...talk. Over that bottle of wine you were going to open at home..."

"Sir..."

He turned back to her. "That's not an order, Carter. It's your choice."

She swallowed in hesitation before she nodded slowly. "Okay."

"Come on. Let's go home." He said, helping to place her jacket back onto her shoulders.

Home, she thought to herself as his fingers touched the bare skin on her arms. There was a slight shiver that ran down her spine as she thought of how warm and inviting his tone had become.


	12. Home

Sam pulled her keys from the door as she opened it. "Come on in, sir." She said standing beside the door before she closed it behind them.

"Sir?" He teased.

She shrugged. "Sorry, Jack. Habit."

"I understand, Carter."

"Sir?"

"Sam."

"Jack."

They paused for a moment before they shared a chuckle. "This is so ridiculous." Sam laughed, trying to shake off the nerves. "Why can't we just...call each other Jack and Sam?"

"I don't know. Eight years of habit, I guess." He said with a nervous chuckle.

She could see in his eyes that he knew as well as she did that "Sir" and "Carter" were just the way in which they'd avoided confronting their feelings for one another.

She shrugged, trying to act somewhat nonchalantly. "Silly, really."

"What?" He asked, curiously.

"Oh...I just meant...the habit is a silly one. That's all." She said, shaking her head.

"I think I'm ready to slip into something more comfortable..." She muttered as she hung her jacket up in the closet by the door.

"Go ahead." Jack said, looking over at her. "I'll uncork the wine, and we'll talk when you get back."

She watched him walk into the kitchen, realizing that the ball lay in her court. Again.

Why had she used that phrase? What if he had expectations that went along with that phrase? What would she wear?

She shook her head. He was still her commanding officer, and they were just friends. She swallowed as she walked back to her bedroom. Sweat pants and a t-shirt. That's what she was going to wear. She wasn't drunk enough for anything else yet.

-

Only a few minutes later, she walked into the living room dressed in a gray Air Force t-shirt and plaid pajama pants. She'd taken a few minutes to wash her face and comb the curls out of her hair.

Jack, now dressed in blue sweat pants and a matching Air Force t-shirt, had the open bottle of Bordeaux on the coffee table next to two half-filled wine glasses.

"You made short work of the cork." She teased as she joined him on the couch.

He smiled in appreciation as he looked over at her and offered her one of the wine glasses. "I also ordered pizza. As long as that's okay with you."

"Sounds great." She said with a grin. "We never got to the dinner part of dinner and dancing, did we?"

"No, we didn't," he chuckled.

"But we did dance, and you were pretty good." She said with a smile.

"Took a few lessons for my wedding." He admitted with a shrug.

"Really?" She asked, surprised. They'd never talked about his marriage. That subject had been firmly closed a year ago, when she'd asked him about it for the first and last time.

He nodded. "Sara's dad gave them to us as an engagement present."

"I never would have guessed." She said, shaking her head in amazement.

"What about you?"

"What about me?" She asked as she sipped at her wine.

"Did you ever take lessons?"

"You mean with either of my two fiances?" She asked, biting the inside of her cheek.

He shook his head, gently. "No. You seemed to have a gift. That's all I was wondering."

He knew how to calm her down, she realized as she looked at his profile. Gray hair that stuck up in the back in a cow-lick, chiseled facial features that told the story of his many hardships, those lips to which she'd found herself more and more addicted every time they stole a kiss in an inappropriate, yet intimate, moment. She wanted to kiss those lips so badly, she thought to herself.

"Carter?" He asked, noticing her far-off look.

"Hmm?" She asked, shaken from her reverie.

"Did you ever take lessons?"

"Lessons?"

"Yeah...dance lessons..." He said, looking over at her. "Like we were talking about?"

"Oh...sorry..." She said, blushing in embarrassment. "Uh...yeah...one time. With Pete."

"I see." He said, taking another sip of wine as the doorbell rang. "I'll get it. It's probably pizza."

He seemed so comfortable in her house, she thought as she watched him leave the couch. Almost as if he belonged in it as much as she and Cassie did.

Hold on, there, Carter. She thought to herself. He's just being friendly and helpful as every good guest should. Actually, he was being much more friendly and helpful than any good guest should be, she admitted. Why?

The smell of the pizza wafted over to her as he returned to sit beside her. "Half-veggie." He assured as he opened the box.

"My favorite." She said with a tender smile as she reached for a slice.

"I know." He said, simply.

She looked at him for a moment before she set down the pizza and reached for her glass. "A toast."

"A toast?" He asked, picking up his glass.

"Yeah." She said, nodding. "To new beginnings."

"I like it." He said, nodding in approval. "To new beginnings."

Their glasses clinked together, and they shared a stolen glance over the tops of their wine glasses as they each took a sip to seal the toast.

-

It was nearly two hours later when Cassie finally came in the front door as quietly as she could. Sam was probably asleep, and probably had been for hours, she thought to herself.

She was somewhat surprised to see the television on. Sam was pretty strict about turning off appliances if they weren't in use – especially things like the television and DVD player.

Someone had been watching "Independence Day", she could see from the screen.

She shook her head with a soft chuckle as she turned both the television and DVD player off. She turned to turn off the floor lamp when she noticed an out-of-place streak of silver out of the corner of her eye. She turned further that direction to find Jack O'Neill lying on the couch, asleep.

She had to keep from laughing when she realized that Sam was curled up next to him with her blond hair strewn on his chest.

The empty bottle of wine and empty glasses that littered the coffee table gave her a small insight into the couple's innocent nap, and she chuckled softly to herself as she reached for one of the lap blankets that Sam kept in the living room. A habit she'd been unwilling to break since the move from Colorado.

She looked back down at the couple, enveloped in one another's arms, and she had to smile softly. "It's about time," she whispered as she turned out the light, locked the door, and went to bed.


	13. Saturday

Consciousness came rather slowly as the warmth Sam had experienced only a few moments ago dissipated quickly. She reached for the covers so that she could wrap herself up again like a cocoon, but she quickly realized that there were no covers, and that she wasn't in her bed.

Her eyes snapped open instantly as she heard voices in the distance. Cassie and Jack were laughing in the kitchen, and she was lying on the living room couch.

Uh oh, she thought to herself as she sat up. She must have fallen asleep while she and Jack had been talking. She felt so stupid.

"Oh, look!" Jack cried from the kitchen. "She's awake."

Cassie looked over with a smile. "Hey, Sam."

"Hi, you two." She said with a grin. She heard the crackle of something cooking on the stove as the smell of bacon and eggs wafted toward her. "Making breakfast?"

"Sorry we couldn't wait to see what you wanted." Jack teased.

She chuckled as she walked into the kitchen. "Well, this was a safe bet."

Jack looked over at her with a strange look in his eye as she remembered her time and hallucinations on the _Prometheus_. She shook it off lest she start remembering the hallucinated kiss she'd experienced on board. "I mean, I like bacon, and I like eggs."

"Yeah. We know." Cassie chuckled.

Sam bit the inside of her cheek as she looked at Jack. For a moment, she wondered if she should apologize for falling asleep on him last night. That seemed like a very bad idea to her – if things hadn't happened that way, she wouldn't be able to take it back.

She took a deep breath as she poured herself a cup of coffee. "I think I'm going to hop in the shower and get ready before breakfast if that's all right with you."

"Fine with me." Cassie said, nodding.

"No problem," Jack said as he turned the bacon.

"All right then...I'll be right back." She said, hurrying off to her bedroom.

Cassie shook her head as she watched Sam leave. She was so obviously nervous about what had happened last night, and she probably didn't even know one-hundred percent what had happened in the first place.

"What are you laughing at?" Jack asked, looking over at her.

"Sam." She said, shaking her head. "I think she got flustered having you in the house so early in the morning."

His brow furrowed.

"I mean, usually it's just the two of us – unless she has work or I have class or both." She said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Having a third-party is that disruptive?" He asked with an amused smile.

"For Miss Run-Everything-By-The-Book? Oh yeah." Cassie chuckled.

He grinned in appreciation. "Come on," he laughed. "Let's finish making breakfast. Or we'll end up with Colonel Carter on our backs."

Cassie chuckled as he handed the pan over to her. "I'm gonna make her some coffee."

"She likes it with..."

"One cream, two sugars." He said with a chuckle. "I know."

"You know her pretty well." She said, studying him closely.

"Seven years on the same team does that to you." He chuckled.

Cassie looked at him, thinking for a moment before she turned her gaze back to the food on the stove. "You know, I haven't seen her quite so happy since she moved out here."

"Oh?" He asked, nonchalantly.

"Yeah." Cassie said, nodding. "She'll never admit it to your face, but she's always happier when you're around."

"I have that effect on stressed out people." He said with easy charm.

Cassie nodded, knowing that their relationship was complicated.

"But thanks for sharing anyway." He finally said, looking over.

"No problem." She said with a grin.

"Did I miss something? A big inside-joke?" Sam asked as she entered the kitchen, dressed in jeans and a fitted scoop neck t-shirt.

"Nope." Jack said, exchanging a secretive smile with Cassie.

"Right..." She chuckled as he offered her the mug.

She sipped at the coffee before she looked up at him with a teasing smile. "Just the way I like it."

"Cassie told me what you like in your coffee." He said, winking at the young woman.

"Don't listen to him. He knew all along." Cassie said, rolling her eyes.

Sam looked up from where she stood near Jack in the close confines of the kitchen. "Thanks." She said again, looking up at him.

"You're welcome," he said with a smile as he took another sip of his own coffee.

For a moment, it felt like they were a couple, ready to embrace their weekend together for all of its endless possibilities. And if he hadn't raised his mug to his lips, she probably would have kissed him.

"Any plans today, sir?" She asked, looking up at him as she tried to remind herself of their situation as military officers.

"So formal, Carter?" He teased as they walked out of the kitchen and into the dining room.

"Sorry, Jack." She said, apologetically. "It's just...habit..."

"And one that we'll break you of, I'm sure." He teased.

"I have no doubt about that." She said, managing a small and uncomfortable smile.

He noticed her discomfort, but ignored it. "I didn't have anything planned for today. I thought I'd see what you two ladies wanted to do or needed to have done."

"Ooh!" Cassie said with a chuckle. "We've got a live-in handyman for a weekend. Maybe he can help you with those things you wanted to get done."

Sam shot the young woman a look. "I told you I'd get to the shelves when things settled down at work."

"Ah, but now you have no excuse." Cassie teased.

"What shelves?" Jack asked, nonchalantly.

"It's nothing, sir." She said, shaking her head. "Really."

"The ones in my bedroom closet. There's just a rather flimsy rod in there, and I was thinking maybe I could have shelves over the rod for storage."

"Doesn't sound too hard." He said, nodding. "I'll get right on it."

"You don't have to do that." Sam tried to reason.

"I know I don't have to, Carter." He said with a grin. "But I can, and I'd like to."

"Yeah, Sam, he can and he wants to." Cassie chimed in.

She sighed with a chuckle. "Two against one...I guess you can do the shelves."

"And maybe remodel the cabinetry?" Cassie added, looking at Jack.

"Cassandra!" Sam cried in mock exasperation.

"Just kidding." Cassie chuckled.

Jack laughed as he raised a hand. "That deserves a high-five."

Sam rolled her eyes. "You two..."

"Eat your breakfast, and I'll take you to the hardware store with me." He teased as he offered her the plate of eggs and bacon.

"No toast?" Sam teased back.

"I'll make it." Cassie said, turning toward the kitchen before anyone could stop her.

Sam chuckled as she watched Cassie.

"She seems to be doing a lot better." Jack observed softly as he drank from his cup of coffee.

"She is." Sam said, nodding. "She's not perfect by a long shot; she still has dark days, but she's on the mend."

"That's good."

She took another sip of her coffee before she looked back at him. "Your visits...they've helped a lot." She admitted. "She may not say it, but she's grateful for the support."

"Funny." He said with a soft chuckle.

"What is?" She asked, confused.

"She said the same thing about you." He said, taking a final sip before he stood. "Cass, I'm gonna help you with that toast."

"I've got it." She called back as Sam tensed somewhat nervously.

"Oh boy..." She muttered when he was far enough out of earshot.


	14. Home Improvement

Sam sighed as she walked into Lowe's. She could get lost in here with all of the projects she wanted to do.

"Are you sure you just want help with the shelves?" Jack asked, looking over at her with an amused and insightful smile.

"Hm?" She asked, looking over at him.

"You've got that look in your eye."

"What look in my eye?" She asked, confused.

"The look that you get when you can't decide what you want to do first." He laughed. "You get it any time you have more than one new piece of technology to decipher."

She blushed modestly. "I don't..."

He nodded. "Yeah, Carter...you do..."

"Sorry." She apologized, goodnaturedly.

"Don't apologize." He said, shaking his head. "It's endearing."

"Endearing?" She asked as she raised an eyebrow, curiously.

"Yeah. Everyone loves you for it." He teased as he got a cart. "Where are we headed?"

"Lumber, closets and light fixtures."

"Light fixtures?" He asked, confused.

"For the dining room," she said, sheepishly. "It's another one of those...projects...that Cassie was talking about..."

He snickered internally. "Okay...bring on the projects."

"And I should probably get that paint I was going to use for the living room..." She mused. "After all, if I have it in the house, I'll be more likely to just get it done after work."

"Or I could come back for a visit." He pointed out.

"You don't have to do that, sir." She said, seriously. "I mean...you're a busy man..."

"That may be true, but it's mostly an 8-5 job. If you don't mind me coming in late on a Friday night, I could come almost every weekend."

She inhaled, wondering what she could say. Finally, she looked back up at him. "Cassandra could use the support right now. She's still not one-hundred percent, and I think it would be good for her to have the stability of knowing when you're coming."

"I wouldn't be trampling on your turf?"

She shook her head. "I might have to work sometimes, but you'd be fine."

"And I'd earn my room by helping you with your projects, and my board by keeping you ladies entertained." He said, shining that charming grin in her direction.

Her knees went weak, like they always did when he gave her that smile.

"Sounds like a fair trade." She finally managed, sounding more normal than she thought she should have given that she'd just imagined Jack O'Neill standing in her bedroom, wearing jeans and a tool belt as the sweat on his skin glistened in the oppressive Nevada sunlight.

Little did she know, he had visions of her in Daisy Duke shorts, a white tank top and a tool belt. Like Heidi from "Home Improvement".

"I guess I'll get the wood and the closet stuff..." Jack coughed.

"And I'll get the paint and the light fixture." She said, managing an uncomfortable smile.

"Ready...go..." Jack said, turning his direction.

Sam bit her lip before she turned to go her own direction.

Oy. What was she getting herself into?

A renovated home? Probably. Another sticky situation with her commanding officer? Most definitely.

Did she mind?

She thought for a moment. "I should care a lot more about this." She muttered as she walked to the paint chips.

"I hear you." Another woman said, shaking her head as she looked at the paint. "But my son wants a black and white checkered room, and my daughter wants this awful green with a purple stripe. Still...they're teenagers, and if I don't give into them on the paint thing, I'll have to give into them on something else. Paint is WAY lower on the list."

"Quite the dilemma," Sam managed, sympathetically. Oh, that she'd been talking about the paint, she wished internally.


	15. Shopping

"Done." Jack said as Sam walked toward him with two gallons of paint in her hands.

"Me too." She said as he took the paint cans from her.

"They're going to deliver the lighting fixture, then?"

She nodded. "It's a little extravagant, I suppose, but it's a small three-lamp bronze chandelier."

"I'm sure with your taste, it will be perfect." He said with a grin.

"Where's the wood?" She asked, curiously.

"I put it in the truck already." He laughed.

"Wow. That was pretty quick." She teased.

"You know me!" He smiled. "So, where now?"

"Just home."

"You sure? I mean, if we're out we can just run whatever errands you need to do..."

"Well, I haven't gone grocery shopping yet, but that can wait."

"The wood will keep." He assured. "Let's get groceries."

"You didn't come all this way to help me buy groceries." She said, shaking her head.

"I'm driving." He said with a snicker. "And I'm taking you to the grocery store."

She rolled her eyes. "Well, if you insist."

"Just get in the car." He chuckled.

"Yes, sir." She retorted, flippantly.

-

It was only a few minutes before they arrived at the nearest Whole Foods Market. "Carter, you got a list?" Jack asked as they got out of the truck.

She nodded. "Yeah."

"Maybe I can take half and you can take half..."

"It's only five or six things." She chuckled. "It won't take long at all. I was just running a little low on the stuff in the house."

"Oh. Okay." He said, grabbing a cart. "So, what's on the list?"

"Cassie wanted some guacamole."

"They sell guacamole here?" He asked, surprised.

She chuckled. "Yes, sir. And it's actually pretty good."

"Who knew?" He teased.

"We need soy milk, whole wheat bread, tea, and eggs."

"After you." He said somewhat teasingly as he offered a grand gesture to guide her into the store.

"Do you need anything while we're here?" She asked, looking over at him as she reached for the guacamole.

"Nope. I get my stuff from REAL grocery stores."

She turned a chagrined look to him before she shook his head.

"What I mean is I don't really do the whole "real food" thing. I do a lot of take out."

"So do I." She admitted. "But I try to make up for it with the so-called good stuff on the weekends."

"Ah." He said, nodding. "So I shot you in the foot when I ordered pizza last night."

"When I said weekends, I really only meant Saturday and Sunday."

"Right." He said, nodding.

"It's weird. I know." She said, blushing.

"Nah." He said, shaking his head. "You gotta do what you gotta do."

She nodded. "Yep."

"And...that's soy milk, guacamole, and eggs..." Jack said, taking inventory.

"Just the bread and tea left."

"No coffee?"

"I still have plenty." She assured.

"Cool."

They continued to walk through the store, this time relative silence for a few moments before Jack looked over at her. "Carter..."

"Yes, sir?"

"Why don't you and Cassie come to DC in a couple of weeks?"

She looked over in surprise. "Huh?"

"I have to stay in DC to attend a function, and I thought if you and Cassie were free for the weekend, you could come and see my world."

"That would be...great..."

"And if you wanted...you could come to the function with me."

She paused. "What kind of function?"

"The kind of function where the head of R&D would not be out of place." He said with a teasing smile.

"Oh...right..." She said with a faltering smile.

"If you don't want to go to the function, I understand. If you can't get away for a weekend, I also understand." He said, seriously. "I'm just throwing the possibility out there."

"My dad was buried in Arlington," she whispered thickly.

"I know." He said, softly.

She bit her lip before she nodded. "That would be great. I'll talk to Cassie and see how she feels about it."

"Sounds good." He said as they continued their shopping. A moment passed before Sam looked back at him. "What was the function again?"

"My department's having a function to schmooze the Senate Appropriations Committee..." He said, somewhat sheepishly.

"I was actually invited to that."

"Really?" He asked, feigning surprise.

She nodded. "I figured they wanted my input on what R&D needs..."

"That's exactly why I put you on the guest list." He said, causing her look at him with a look of surprise.

It softened into a smile before she shook her head. "I should have known..."

"Yes, well..." He shrugged.

They shared a look, like they had hundreds of times before.

Sam swallowed. They were playing with fire, spending all of this time alone together. At least with team nights, they'd had two built-in chaperones. Now, they had only one in Cassie, who was such an incurable romantic, that she would leave them to their own devices.

"At any rate, that means I will be in DC for the weekend anyway." She said, looking away and grabbing the nearest thing she could find. She stuck it into the basket, and continued walking.

Jack looked into the basket. "Uh...Carter?"

"Yes?" She asked, turning around.

"What are you going to use kids' multivitamins for?" He asked, reaching in and holding them up for her. "I mean...they look like fruit snacks which is ingenious, but last time I checked...you don't have a kid..."

She blushed furiously as she snatched them from his hand and put them back on the shelf. "I...let's just go..."

"Yes, ma'am..." He said, trying to school the amused half-smile from his lips.


	16. Phone Calls

Sam looked at the house with a small sigh of contentment. Between Saturday and Sunday, all of the closets had been fixed (to her pleasant surprise), the dining room chandelier had been hung, and the living room had been painted. At this rate, she'd have her house the way she wanted it by Christmas.

Her cell phone rang, and she quickly answered it. "Carter."

"Sam, it's me, Daniel."

"Daniel!" She cried, excitedly. "Hey. How are you?"

"I'm fine." He said with a grin. "How's life in Nevada?"

"Hot, but so far so good." She said, approvingly. "How many days until the _Daedelus_ leaves?"

"Twenty-two, but who's counting?"

She laughed. "Certainly not you."

"Hey, I was calling to find out if you had a problem with me coming out to see you right before I leave?"

"Of course not, Daniel." She said, shaking her head. "Cassie and I would love it."

"Great! Because I've got some leave for the weekend of the 19th."

"The nineteenth?" She asked, her face falling.

"Yeah. Why? Not a good time?"

"Cassie and I are going to DC. It's a work-related thing, but I think I can swing some time to take her to see the sights..."

"Hey, why don't I come and keep her company while you're in meetings?"

She swallowed. Back to two chaperones. This should be a good thing...

"That would be...great..." She said after a moment. "I'll check with Cass, but it should be fine."

"Excellent. I'll probably just stay with Jack..."

"That's what we were planning on doing as well – but I think he may have three bedrooms and a fold-out couch. I'll check with him."

"Well, I don't want this to be an inconvenience."

"It's not, Daniel. Trust me." She said, warmly. But if there was one person who would know that she and Jack were leaving together for the function to which they'd both been invited, it would be Daniel. And if there was one person who would blab about it, it would be Daniel.

Maybe she could convince Jack to get Cassandra and Daniel tickets to a play or something – keep them occupied while they slipped out to their function...

"Well, it will be great. Tell Cassie that I'm looking forward to it." He grinned.

"I will." She said, nodding.

"And I'll call Jack, and we'll work something out about the rooms."

"Really, Daniel, it's no trouble." She assured. The news would be better coming from her.

"Are you sure?"

"Phone calls can be done while I'm doing almost anything else." She said with a grin. "And they're relatively short, so I won't be sacrificing too much time."

"Are you trying to hide something from me?"

"What? No..."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Okay...just checking..."

"Was that all you needed?" She asked, trying to wrap things up.

"Yeah..."

"Well, I've got reports to catch up on. It was great to hear your voice."

"Yours too."

"Bye."

"Bye."

She hung up the phone with a small sigh. Jack was not going to be happy.

The phone rang again, and she looked at it in surprise. Speak of the devil, she thought as she saw Jack's name on the Caller ID. She opened the phone and pressed it to her ear. "Carter," she greeted.

"Hey, how's my favorite astrophysicist?"

"I'm fine." She laughed. "And you?"

"Fine. Just got out of a boring meeting, but I'll recover."

She chuckled softly. "As I recall, you always had interesting ways of amusing yourself, sir."

Memories of the occasional "dots" game in the most boring of briefings with Daniel caused them both to chuckle.

"Yes...well..." He smiled. "Air Force generals are apparently supposed to actually listen to what is being said in the briefing."

"Well, sir, technically so are Air Force colonels..."

"What?" He asked in mock-surprise. "You don't say!"

"Just like you didn't think you had a desk until you were promoted." She teased.

"That was a shame." He said, shaking his head. "Oh, the naps I could have had on that desk..."

She giggled softly before she sobered. "What did you need, sir?"

"Need?" He asked, surprised.

"You called me. Didn't you need something?"

"Only to know that you loved the closet."

"I loved the closet, sir." She said, sincerely. "And I told you about twenty-thousand times while you were here."

"One can never hear it too often." He teased.

"I really did love the closet, sir." She assured.

"I know you did." He said with quiet pride. "I'm just glad I could do something for you after you put up with me all weekend."

"I didn't have to "put up" with you." She chuckled. "You were a wonderful house guest, and welcome any time."

"Woohoo!"

She smiled affectionately before she sobered again. "Actually, sir, I was going to call you myself..."

"Great minds think alike, I suppose." He teased. "What's up?"

"Daniel called."

"Cool. What'd he want?"

"To visit the weekend of the 19th."

"You told him you were busy..." He prompted.

"And he wants to come to DC to keep Cassie company while I'm in meetings."

"Oh boy..."

"Yeah."

"Well, you can spend the days shopping or sightseeing while he's out with Cassie. No problem."

"Actually, sir, there is." She said, pursing her lips again.

"Oh?"

"He wants to stay with you too."

"Oh..."

"And when you and I leave for the evening function..."

"He's going to think we're on a date."

"Exactly."

"Well, we'll just have to tell him that it's a fundraiser thing." He said, unworried. "No problem."

"Right." She said, nodding. "And with the economy as it is, sharing a ride over would be best, and the crowd we're schmoozing likes parties over meetings, so...any normal person would think that we're being platonic coworkers."

"We're doomed."

"I know." She said with a sigh. "And it will be all over Dakara in record time because he's going to call Teal'c who's going to be stoic and silent like he's always been, but someone's going to hear..."

"He can't stay with me..."

"Actually, sir, I may have come up with an idea." She offered.

"Oh?"

"Maybe we can convince Daniel to take Cassie out to a play, and set up some dinner reservations while we go. That way, they don't see us leaving together and avoid all of that..."

"You're a genius!" He cried, excitedly.

"I try." She said, wryly.

She could hear his smile through the phone. "I'll get the arrangements taken care of this week."

"Sounds good." She said with a smile of her own. "So, sir, in your professional opinion, do you think I should wear my dress blues to this function?"

"It's up to you," he said, seriously. "We'll be wining and dining with senators, so you could wear a gown if you wanted, but you'll also be with us Pentagon folk."

"Us Pentagon folk?" She repeated with a teasing smile.

He laughed. "Yes. Anyway...most - if not all - of us are going to be wearing our blues."

"I have a feeling that Cassie's going to make me buy a dress..."

"If you tell her."

She sighed goodnaturedly. "I already did."

"Oh, good job, Carter." He teased.

"I don't know, it might be fun to wear a gown. I don't get to dress up too often..."

"Then wear a gown."

"And I could say I was going to a meeting, and get lost at a spa instead." She chuckled.

"Rebel." He teased.

"I know. I'm playing hooky instead of going to a meeting that I don't have just to keep one of my friends from thinking that I'm carrying on a raging love affair with my commanding officer when we're just going to business function."

There was silence on the other side of the phone, causing her to wonder if she'd made him uncomfortable. "Sir?"

"Huh?"

"Are you okay?"

"Fine." He coughed. "Just...fine..."

Yep, that 'raging love affair' line had made him uncomfortable, and for some reason it made her smile.


	17. Once

"Coffee?" Jack offered as he stood in her kitchen only a few days later.

"I could get used to this." She teased as she took the cup from him.

"You might have to with all the time I spend here." He retorted with a smile.

She grinned before she looked down the hallway.

"She didn't get home until after two last night. She's probably still asleep." He assured.

"Good." Sam said, looking back at him.

"You wanna talk about birthday plans..." He prompted.

"Yeah." She said, surprised. "How did you..."

"Know? You're a little predictable, Sam." He chuckled.

She laughed appreciatively. "I guess I am more than a little boring..."

"Not boring. Predictable. You could never be boring."

"Will you let me get to my point?" She asked with mock-irritation.

"Yes, ma'am." He teased. "Cassandra's birthday."

"Is tomorrow." She finished. "I got Cirque du Soleil tickets."

"Fun." He said, nodding in approval.

"Anyway, I was thinking we could take her to dinner and surprise her with the tickets."

"We?" He asked, surprised.

"Well, I knew you'd be in town, and I got one for you too." She said, panicking slightly at his reaction. "Unless, of course, you don't want..."

"I'd love to." He assured. "I just wasn't sure I'd be invited."

"My mother raised me to be more polite than that." She said, offering him a crooked smile as she took another sip of coffee.

"Way to go, Mom." He said, returning her smile.

"You would have liked her." She found herself saying. "And she would have liked you."

"Well, we all know how fond of me your dad was." He laughed.

Sam grinned as she thought of the fond memories she had of her dad. "Selmak softened him, believe it or not..."

"I believe it." He said, seriously. "I met him before Selmak, remember?"

She nodded. "I remember. It was in DC - we were supposed to get the Air Medal."

"And then all hell broke loose."

She inhaled sharply. "Yeah."

"Your dad was very proud of you, Sam." He said, seriously.

Tears were pricking at her eyes, and she looked down at her coffee as she nodded rapidly.

He took a few steps toward her, gently guiding a stray strand of hair from her face before he put his forefinger under her chin and tenderly forced her to look into his eyes. With paradoxically calloused and sympathetic fingers, he wiped the tears from her cheeks as they slipped past her defenses.

"He wouldn't just be proud of your status as an officer." He whispered, kindly. "Or your work as an astrophysicist."

She looked up at him with trusting eyes, noting the sincerity in his. "But as a woman. Whole and complete."

"I don't feel complete," she whispered, vulnerably.

He let his thumb glide across her cheek once more as he banished a single tear from her cheek. He wanted to kiss her, she could see it in his eyes.

She wanted him to kiss her, and she hoped that desire was as clear in her eyes as his desire to kiss her was in his.

"I can't..." He finally whispered, pulling away. "You've worked too hard to get this far, and I could ruin it for you." He pulled his hand from her cheek. "I won't do this to you, Sam."

She swallowed down another wave of tears.

"Maybe in a few years - maybe after I retire, but..."

She inhaled, closing her eyes for a moment. "I need this, Jack." She pleaded. "Just this once...I swear, it won't happen again."

He swallowed before he stepped back toward her, and gently placed a hand on her cheek. With a trembling heart, he bent his head to caress her soft lips with his own.

She didn't want it to end. He'd captured her lips with his own, gently touching the deepest part of her soul with the smallest gesture. Her body was on fire, and her mind was in a foggy haze. He could heal her with the slightest brush of his hand. He could renew her spirits with just one thoughtful caress.

And if he wanted, he could mold her and shape her in whatever way he desired.

He pulled his lips away from hers, though she tried to catch them with her own for one more meaningful nip.

"Maybe I should go." He whispered, huskily.

"Maybe you should stay." She murmured as she opened her eyes again.

He hesitated for a moment, and she reached for his hand, gently interlocking her fingers with his. "This...this can be a regulation-free zone...this...this can be a one-time thing..."

"It could never be a one-time thing, Sam." He said, seriously.

She swallowed. "Then...for right now...it's Thera. Standing in her kitchen with Jonah. Wishing that four years ago, she'd had the courage to throw off the oppressive rules about physical contact with the opposite sex. Wishing that she'd had a place where they could live happily ever after without any repercussions. Thera is asking Jonah to stay. She's asking him to love her."

Jack was obviously torn. He loved her. She loved him back.

"You'd regret it." He said, softly. "Four years ago, you also made it clear that we were leaving all of that behind us. Locking it in a room with an alien device."

"I was afraid."

"So was I."

"I wanted you to protest."

"I wanted you to be happy."

"I didn't know what I wanted."

"I knew how much you loved your work."

"I thought my dad would disapprove."

"I knew your dad would disapprove."

She swallowed. "You're wrong about that."

His brow furrowed in confusion.

"He told me...not to let the rules stand in my way of happiness...those were his last words to me..."

"And now?"

"I need you," she admitted. "You've kept me sane enough to help Cassie. You've made me smile when life was unbearable. You fit here. With me."

"This is a bad idea..." He said, shaking his head.

"For once in my life, I'm letting my heart make the decisions, and you're trying to talk me out of it?" She asked with an ironic smile on her face.

He swallowed. "I've never been able to convince you to do - or not do something - that you didn't - or did - want to do."

"Say you don't love me, and I'll never say another word."

"I can't do that."

"Then, kiss me." She invited as she stepped closer to him with the soft air of womanhood. "Just...kiss me..."

He hesitated for a moment before he did just that.


	18. Morning

Cassie walked out into the kitchen to find Sam standing over the stove with a frying pan in hand. "Feeling domestic today?" She teased as she reached into the fridge for a glass of orange juice.

"Don't laugh or you won't get the French toast I just made for you." Sam retaliated with a cheeky smile.

"Yes, ma'am." Cassie said with a mock salute.

Sam shook her head as the twenty-one-year-old sat down at the bar.

"Where's Jack?"

"He went to get some tiles for the kitchen." Sam said, swallowing as she remembered the kisses they'd shared only a few minutes earlier. She was still tingling from the sensation.

Cassie's eyebrow was raised in curiosity when Sam returned from Cloud 9 to the Earth below. She coughed. "What?"

"You look awfully...happy...this morning..."

'"It's a beautiful morning." Sam countered.

"Not that beautiful." Cassie teased.

"Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps..." Sam sang as she dished up the French toast.

"Okay, seriously, I haven't seen you this happy since the last time I was over at your place, and Pete was there..."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Sam said, quickly cleaning up the kitchen.

"Uh huh...that's what you said then too...now spill."

Sam turned back to the young woman. "Not even Ba'al could get it out of me." She teased as she sauntered back to her bedroom to change.

Yep. Something had changed. Cassie thought to herself with a grin.

-

After two hours of tiling the wall between the cabinets and the cupboards, Sam, Jack and Cassie stood back to admire their work.

"I like it." Sam announced after a moment.

"It's nice." Jack agreed.

"Now what?" Cassie asked, looking at the other two.

"I don't know." Sam said, looking over at their guest. "You're the visitor. What would you like to do?"

"You mean besides enjoy the nightlife?" Jack teased.

Sam blushed, and Cassandra wondered if she'd ever hear what inside joke the two had just shared.

"I was actually thinking that we could get some lunch. Somewhere nice, but not too nice...we have to save something fancy for Cassie's ACTUAL birthday."

Sam's amusement was shown in a half-smile that lit up her eyes as she looked over at Cassandra.

Cassie's face, however, showed little of the excitement they'd been expecting.

"Cassandra?" Sam asked, looking over at her.

Tears were threatening to spill as Cassie looked away. "I don't want to go anywhere." She announced as she hurried from the room.

Jack looked over at Sam, and they shared a puzzled look together. Finally, they sighed in unison. "Shawn..."

"I'll go..."

"Let me." Jack said, touching her shoulder as she prepared to go. She nodded slowly, knowing that he'd had a special bond with the young woman.

He gently knocked on the door.

"Go away."

Jack sighed before he opened the door. "Not gonna do that, Cass. You know that."

She tried to hide from him, but he came over and sat beside her on the bed.

"It's hard to get another year older when you've lost someone close to you." He said, softly. "And birthdays can be tangible reminders of how quickly time passes and how normal everything is to the rest of the world. Even when your heart is broken."

She turned watery eyes to him. "I know it sounds terrible, but as much as I miss Shawn everyday, it's not him that I'm crying for right now..."

"Your mom..."

She nodded as she swallowed. "She made birthdays so special. We'd go shopping, and we'd get manicures and pedicures, and we'd go out to eat, and then we'd come home, and Sam would meet us for cake."

Jack wrapped his arm around her shoulder and kissed the top of her head tenderly. "I wish I could bring her back, Cass. I really do."

From where she stood in the doorway, Sam was flooded with a feeling of gratitude for Jack and his presence in her home at this difficult time. And she was also filled with an intense desire to share the responsibility of raising Jack's child with him. His innate fatherhood would be a beautiful thing to be able to witness on a daily basis.

She sighed soundlessly before they could notice her behind them. It would probably never happen at this rate, and that realization hurt. It really hurt.

-

"Carter?" Jack asked, walking through the house to try and find her.

"In here." She called from her own bedroom.

He walked in, hesitantly. "Cassie's ready for lunch."

"That's great." She said, looking over at him with a bittersweet smile.

"Are you okay?" He asked, stepping a little closer.

"Fine." She said, affirmatively.

"I don't believe you." He said, noticing the silent stream of tears that ran down her cheeks. "What's up?"

"You were..." She began as she wiped at her cheeks with the palm of her hand. "You were really great in there. I caught a little bit of what you said, and it was...really great..."

"Thanks." He said, puzzled.

"I'm okay." She said, taking a deep and cleansing breath. "Really. I'll be okay."

"Are you sure nothing's bothering you?" He asked again. "I'm good at listening if you need to talk."

She looked into his eyes for a moment before she shook her head. "Not right now. Maybe someday, I'll tell you, but...not right now."

"I can take Cassie by myself, if you'd rather..."

She shook her head. "No. I'll be ready in a few minutes."

"Sam," Jack said, touching her knee gently.

She looked over with a tender look in her eye. "If I promise to tell you someday, will you believe that I'm going to be all right?"

"Maybe." He said, somewhat hesitantly.

She hesitated for a moment herself before she looked over. "I just...once in a while, I remember everything we each have sacrificed for our work."

"And...so...but...therefore..." He prodded.

"And sometimes I wish I wasn't so alone." She said, softly. "That I had a husband, kids, and even a dog, maybe..."

He looked at her, somewhat confused. "I thought Pete's wanting a dog was something you weren't comfortable with."

"It wasn't the dog itself." She said, shaking her head. "Pete just wasn't...the one."

"Ah." He said as if with sudden clarity.

"What about you?" She asked, looking over at him. "Do you wish something about the last eight years was different?"

"One." He admitted as he gently touched her hand with his own. "In particular."

She tensed slightly as she looked back up at him.

"Look, I know it's going to take some time." He said, seriously. "But I've waited for eight years. I can wait as long as I need to."

"I know you can." She said, softly. "But I'm not sure I can."

"What do you mean?" He asked, confused.

"Nothing." She said, shaking her head. "It's Cassie's birthday weekend. Let's celebrate that."

"Sam..."

"Please, sir." She said, looking over with a look of strained emotion. "Later. I promise."

"I'll hold you to that, Carter." He said, seriously.

She returned his look with the same amount of sincerity. "We have a birthday to celebrate." She whispered after a moment.


	19. Tension

Cassie watched the other members of her party as they sat around a circular table in Olive Garden, looking at the menu.

Sam and Jack had barely spoken to one another. Which after this morning seemed strange to her.

"Thanks for lunch, guys." Cassie said, breaking the silence.

"Anything for you, Cass." Jack said, looking up from the menu for only a moment.

"It is your birthday weekend." Sam said, managing a small smile as she looked up at the young woman before she returned her glance to the menu.

"What's going on between you two?" Cassie asked, looking between them, unable to stand the tension anymore.

"Nothing." They replied in tandem.

She sighed. "Doesn't look that way to me..."

"Trust me, everything's fine." Sam said, softly.

"If she says it, it must be so." Jack said, matter-of-factly.

"Do we need to talk about this here?" Sam asked, refusing to look at him.

"I think I need to go to the restroom..." Cassie said, standing.

"Look, you don't want to talk, and I respect that. I don't like it, but I respect it."

"Which is why you brought it up in front of Cassandra." She retorted.

"I shouldn't have done that." He agreed. "I'm sorry."

"Look," she sighed as she looked over. "I...I'm just conflicted."

"You're always conflicted, Carter." He said, seriously. "At least where we're concerned."

"Because it's complicated."

"Yeah. It is." He said, setting down the menu. "What are we going to do about it?"

"What can we do about it?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Look...while you're the head of R&D, we have more options than when you're back on the team. And don't tell me you're not going back."

She inhaled deeply as she looked at him.

"Maybe now's the time to make our move." He suggested.

"And have everyone insinuate that we've been carrying on a torrid love affair for eight years?" She asked, skeptically.

"Just this morning, you wanted to say "to hell with it all"." He cried, frustrated. "What changed?"

"Would you want any more kids?" She asked after a moment.

He was taken aback by her question. "What?"

"If...something were to happen...and if...we were to "throw it all to hell"...would you want more kids?"

"Is that what this is about?" He asked after he blew out all the air he'd trapped in his lungs.

"It's just a question."

He bit the inside of his cheek. "I don't know."

She nodded slowly as if she'd been expecting that answer.

"Why?" He asked, seriously.

"Because I can't imagine the rest of my life without you." She whispered, vulnerably. "And...that was the reason I even thought about the sacrifices today. You were so good with Cassie that I just...I wanted to see that side of you more often."

She sighed. "It's stupid, really. And amazingly inappropriate, but there. I said it."

He looked at her for a moment, and then he looked down at the table. "It's not stupid."

"Are you ready to order?" The waiter asked, approaching the table.

Sam swallowed as she looked back at the menu. "I'll need a few more minutes." She mumbled.

Jack looked at her for a moment before he looked back at the menu. "When we get back, I'll grab my things and find somewhere else to stay."

She sighed softly as she looked over at him. "It was a nice daydream while it lasted." She admitted. "But we're not five years old anymore. Playing house isn't just a game anymore..."

He swallowed. Who'd been playing? "Yeah. Especially when you're dealing with other people besides yourselves."

"Exactly."

-

Cassie sighed from where she stood, trying to gauge when to return. Things weren't getting any better. And short of disappearing from the restaurant altogether, she wasn't sure she could give them much more alone time.

And so, eight years of building anticipation simply deflated before her eyes like a poorly crafted souffle. Mama said there'd be days like this, she thought to herself.


	20. Misunderstanding

Sam walked into Cassandra's room a few hours later. "I have a birthday present for you," she announced, offering her an envelope.

Cassie looked over at Sam somewhat unenthusiastically. "Oh?"

She nodded. "Tickets to Cirque du Soleil."

She counted the tickets before she looked back at Sam. "You and Jack were going to take me together, weren't you?"

Sam inhaled sharply before she nodded. "Yeah."

"What happened?"

"Reality set in." Sam said, softly.

"I'm sorry to hear it." Cassie said, looking over at her sympathetically.

Sam shrugged. "We should have seen it coming," she said, shaking her head. "That's all..."

"I guess you and Jack don't want to come to this?"

"I think it would be best if it was one or the other of us." She said, seriously. "But if you really want us both there, I'm sure we can set aside our differences..."

"It's okay. I'll call my old roommates. We'll have a girls' night out."

"Now that sounds like a great idea." Sam said with a grin. She sat beside Cassie and hugged her tightly. "I'm sorry about this afternoon." She whispered, apologetically.

"It's okay." She assured. "I just hate seeing you guys like this. You were made for each other."

Sam sighed as she shook her head. "Fate is a fickle friend, Cass."

"I guess you have a point there..."

"I promise to make this birthday up to you." Sam said, seriously. "Next weekend, I'll arrange for us to go to a spa, okay?"

Cassie smiled softly. "That would be fun."

"Consider it done."

Cassie sighed softly. "It's going to be weird not having Jack here on the weekends anymore."

"We'll get through it," Sam promised. "We always do."

Cassie looked up at her friend, knowing full well that for Sam, the pronoun "we" should have been substituted with the pronoun "I".

-

Sam sat down at the coffee table with a bottle of wine, single wine glass, and a stack of reports.

Boring ol' workaholic Carter was back, she thought to herself somewhat grimly.

Cassie was at dinner with her friends, they were going to see Cirque du Soleil, like she and Jack had planned, and then, she was staying on campus with a friend.

The swift and somewhat official rap on the door made her heart run cold. Ever since the accident, Sam's greatest fear had been getting a knock like that with an officer on the other end saying that this time, Cassie had been the one who'd perished.

"Coming." She called as she stood and walked toward the front door.

She opened it, somewhat surprised to see Jack O'Neill standing on her porch. "Carter."

"Sir..." She managed.

"You're not dressing for the occasion?"

"Occasion?" She asked, blankly.

"Dinner. Show. Did you miss that memo?" He asked, curiously.

Understanding dawned. "Oh...I...I guess I forgot to tell you..."

"Tell me what?"

"I sent Cassie with the tickets. She's having a girls' night out."

"Ah." He said, nodding.

"I'm sorry, I just assumed that after yesterday..."

"It's okay, Carter." He said, managing a sober smile as he fiddled with the bouquet in his hands. "I guess, then, that this is for you..."

"I can give it to Cassandra for you if you'd like..."

"Whatever." He said, shrugging. "I guess...I'll go cancel the reservations and head home."

"You don't have to cancel the reservations." Sam said, shaking her head. "I'm sure you'd love a nice dinner..."

"Alone?" Jack asked, pointedly. "I can do that in DC. Hell, I can do a nice dinner not alone in DC."

She tensed. "I'm sorry, sir."

"Cut the sir." He said, seriously. "We're not in the same chain of command, and you don't need to call me that anymore."

"I'm sorry, Jack." She whispered, softly. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

He looked over at her with a small sigh. "I kept telling myself that if things were different, you and I would be together. But then, Pete happened, and I was certain that you'd forget me, and you'd move on with your life."

She swallowed.

"And then, you showed up at my house."

She remembered that day only four months ago. It had been the most humiliating experience of her whole life when Kerri had walked out of the house, carrying a salad bowl like she and Jack had been living together for the past several years. And the cherry on top had been when she'd learned of her father's fatal illness.

"Carter, things have changed. Officially. And you still don't want me in your life the way you think you do. Or maybe you're afraid of it, but at any rate, I need to just accept that and move on...and so do you."

"I can't." She whispered, swallowing.

"Yes, Carter, you can." He said, seriously. "You have before."

"Jack, I..." she began, hesitantly. "I love you."

He studied her for a moment before he shook his head. "Goodbye, Carter."

He started to walk to his car, and she watched him go wondering what she could do to convince him that she wasn't just trying to keep him as a safe bet. Within a moment, she had begun running out the door.

"Jack!" She called as she caught up to him, easily.

He paused and turned in time for her to plant a passionate kiss on his lips that rivaled the one Sha're had given Daniel eight years earlier.

"Jack, look at me." She whispered with her hands on his face.

He opened his eyes. "Wow." He managed.

She smiled appreciatively before she spoke. "Why is ours the only reality where this won't work? We've saved the world, blown up a sun, defeated not one, but two alien threats outright...why can't we come up with a solution to this?"

"You're serious." He said, studying her closely.

"You better believe I am." She said, soberly. "And I'm not letting you go. Not again."

"Yes, ma'am." He whispered as he bent his head down for another kiss from the lips of the angel to whom he'd given his heart.


	21. Sick Day

_"I'm not gonna write you a love song,  
'Cuz you asked for it,  
'Cuz you need one, you see..."_

Sam groaned as she reached over and hit the "snooze" button. "I hate that song," she murmured as she rolled back over to look at the gray-haired Air Force general who lay face-down in the pillow beside her.

"Yeah..." Jack muttered, eyes firmly shut.

Even with bedhead, he was adorable. She leaned in. "Jack," she whispered in his ear.

"Wha?"

"Wake up."

"Don' wanna..."

She kissed his ear and then his cheek. "Come on, Jack. Wake up."

"Five more minutes..."

"You'll miss your plane."

"I'll stay home today."

"I have to get to work. Which means I have to get out of bed. And you're sharing the blanket..."

"Leave the blanket."

"You're terrible." She whispered affectionately. "And if you stay like this, you'll miss the view."

His eyes opened instantly.

She shook her head with a chuckle. "So predictable."

"I say we blow off our respective employers and stay in bed." Jack announced.

Sam smiled as she slipped out of bed. "I don't think they'll have a problem with that," she said somewhat facetiously. "After all, you're just the Head of Homeworld Security, and I'm just the Head of Research and Development out of Area 51. They'll never know."

"Exactly."

"I'm going to work." She said, leaning over and kissing him on the nose. "You can do what you're going to do..."

"Even R&D directors get sick." He said, looking up at her innocently.

"Yes, and I'm not sick." She said, confused.

"Ah, but last night you needed a lot of tender loving care." He said, his face with a dead-pan expression.

She grinned, wholly amused by her new lover. "Jack!"

"And me too." He repeated with two weak, fake coughs.

"I repeat: you're terrible." She said, shaking her head.

"Hey, what am I supposed to do?" He asked, looking over at her as she headed toward the shower. "Last night, I had the most gorgeous woman in the world in my bed."

"Correction: my bed." She said, poking her head out the door of the bathroom.

He grinned. "Right...gotta love that southern hospitality."

She raised an eyebrow, perplexed. "What?"

"Well, we're further south than Colorado, and let me tell you...last night...was hospitality."

She blushed lightly. "I don't think that's what they mean when they talk about "southern hospitality"."

"Yeah, well..." He said with a shrug.

"I really am getting in the shower now." She chuckled. "Or I'll never make it to work on time."

"Come on, Carter...play hooky with me..." He whined.

"If you play hooky, Jack, that's your business, but I will leave at seven-thirty for work, and I'll be back at five-thirty, barring an emergency." She called from behind the bathroom door.

"Fine. I'll go to work." He groaned. "But only because you're doing it."

"I'm very proud of you, sir." She retorted, cheekily over the sound of running water.

"Yeah, yeah...that's what they all say." He laughed as he quickly dressed and went out to the kitchen to make some coffee.

-

The click-clack of heels against the kitchen tile caused Jack to turn. "Good Morning, Miss America." He grinned as he handed her a cup of coffee. "Coffee? Bagel? Eggs?"

She chuckled softly as she leaned over and kissed him softly. "Eggs sound great." She said, looking deeply into his eyes with a contented smile.

"I can make my famous omelet..."

"Why not?" She said with a grin.

"One omelet coming right up." He said with a smile.

"I'm going to make arrangements to go to the spa this weekend with Cassie to make up for lunch the other day." Sam said as she ate the omelet.

"Are you uninviting me for this weekend?" He teased, looking back at her.

"No. Just letting you know that it will be awfully boring alone in the house." She winked.

"I could sneak into the spa..."

"Hm..." She said, pondering the suggestion. "This idea deserves some consideration."

"And I could help you choose a dress..."

"Oh no." She said, shaking her head. "You'd just want to take it off me the minute I put it on."

He shrugged in mock innocence. "Is there a problem with that?"

"When we're in a public place? Yes."

"D'oh."

She smiled affectionately. "Besides, I have to keep a few surprises in our relationship, don't I?"

"Nah. Surprises are overrated." He said, seriously.

"Are they?'

He nodded. "I mean, Ba'al's kind of ruined them for me with all of his surprise attacks. I mean, doesn't anyone call before they attack anymore?" He asked, cheekily.

She giggled appreciatively. "Hasn't he on occasion?" She teased.

"Yes, well..." He said with a shrug.

She leaned in and kissed him gently before she pulled away. "Maybe I am feeling just a little under the weather."

"Yes!" He exclaimed with a grin as he leaned in to kiss her again.


	22. DC

"So, let me get this straight..." Cassie said, confused as she and Sam walked through the retractable corridor from the jet to the Reagan National Airport terminal. "You have a business meeting here..."

"Yes." Sam said, nodding.

"And sometime two weeks ago, you and Jack made up..."

"Again, yes." Sam nodded with a grin.

"And so we're staying with him...still..."

"Exactly." Sam grinned as their favorite Air Force general appeared in view.

"Cassie! Carter!" Jack called, excitedly. "Guess who I found a few gates away..."

"Daniel!" Cassie cried, surprised.

Sam couldn't help but beam as the college student hurried over to hug the archaeologist. Jack walked over to her, nonchalantly taking the bags from her. "Nice going on the surprise."

She smiled appreciatively. "They may have been ruined for you, but not for Cassie." She said, thoroughly pleased with the reception of the surprise.

"I don't know...there might be something to this good surprise thing after all." Jack teased as they walked to join Daniel and Cassie who were catching up.

"Have you gotten her to forgive us for ruining her birthday weekend yet, Danny?" Jack asked, looking over at the archaeologist.

Cassie's smile was so wide, Sam was almost afraid she would break her jaw if it got much wider. "This is WAY better than Cirque du Soleil."

"I'll remember that next year." Sam teased affectionately.

"So, where are you staying?" Cassie asked, excitedly.

"With Jack."

"Us too."

"So I heard." He said with a grin. He leaned over and kissed Sam's cheek. "How are you, Sam?"

"Doing fine." She said with a smile.

"Here for work, right?"

She nodded. "Boring DC function..."

"Yep. She's got a taste of my life this time." Jack said with a grin.

"You're going to this function...together?" Daniel asked, looking between the two of them.

Sam looked at Jack and he looked at her, both more than slightly uncomfortable at the topic. Cassie studied them for a moment.

"Are you going together?" She asked after a moment.

"To save on gas." Sam assured.

"Yeah. And for the carpool lane." Jack added.

Daniel and Cassie shared a curious glance. "So...have you two had dinner yet?" He asked, looking over at her.

"Nope." Cassie said, shaking her head.

"Then dinner it is." Jack announced. "My treat."

"I was going to treat." Daniel said, looking over at Jack.

"Do you want to treat?"

"No, you can treat." Daniel said, shaking his head.

"That's what I thought." Jack smiled as Sam bit a laugh back.

"In honor of your late birthday," Daniel said, turning to Cassie. "I think you should pick the restaurant."

"Is there an IHOP around?"

"I've got GPS. I'll find it." Jack said with a grin.

"Breakfast for dinner?" Daniel asked, wrapping a paternal arm around Cassie with a smile. "Daring."

Sam smiled as she and Jack walked behind them. "It's really good to see you," he said, leaning over to whisper in her ear.

"And you." She said with an affectionate smile.

"I have a few ideas of how we can celebrate you being in DC this weekend..." He winked.

"I'm looking forward to every single one of them." She whispered with a wink as they walked out to his car.


	23. Loaded Questions

"It's been so long since I had pancakes," Jack said with a satisfied smirk as they walked into his townhome.

"Well, you certainly had enough of them, sir." Sam teased.

"Gee, thanks, Carter." He said, shaking his head as he closed the door.

She smirked as they walked into the living room.

"Have a seat," Jack invited. "Anyone up for a game?"

"I am." Sam said with a grin.

"Me too." Cassie agreed.

"Ah, why not?" Daniel asked with a shrug.

"That's the spirit!" Jack grinned. "And I've got the perfect game."

"What game, sir?" Sam asked, looking over at him.

"Loaded Questions." He said with a grin.

"Loaded Questions?" Daniel asked, confused.

"Yep. It's a game I heard of recently. I thought it might be fun to play with you guys."

"One of those "get to know you" games?" Sam asked, skeptically.

"Come on, Carter. It'll be fun."

"Okay, sir, I'm in." She said with an affectionate smile.

"I'll win." Daniel said with a laugh. "So, I'm in."

"You wish you'll win." Cassie protested goodnaturedly. "I'm going to win!"

Jack snorted. "Right..."

Sam shook her head at all of the competitiveness. "Let's just play a nice, friendly game..."

"With this bunch?" Jack asked with a smile. "Good luck."

She giggled as they prepared to play the game.

-

"Okay," Sam said, looking up from her card. "If you could dis-invent one thing, what would it be?"

The other three pondered the question for a moment before quickly writing their answers on a sheet of paper and offering it to the Colonel.

She left them face-down until she had retrieved all of the answers. "Here we go..."

"Goa'uld ribbon devices." She read with an amused half-smile. She looked up as they all chuckled. "I actually agree with this one."

She placed the sheet of paper behind the others as she read the next one. "That DNA-morphing thing-a-majig."

She raised an eyebrow as she looked over at Jack. "Sir..."

"What?"

"It's your handwriting," She said, showing him the card, "And...no one else here would use the term "thing-a-majig"."

He looked away for a moment, his personal tell that she was onto something. "Yes, well..."

"One point for me." She said with a tiny smile of pride. She looked back down at the other card. "And the last thing someone in this room would dis-invent would be..." She paused as she read it. "Clowns?"

"Clowns?" Jack repeated, looking at the other two in surprise.

Cassie was blushing, and Sam bit her lip. "You're afraid of clowns?"

"Not afraid. Just creeped out." Cassie protested.

"They're scary." Daniel agreed with a small smile on his lips.

"They're not...scary..." Cassie tried to reason once again. "But..."'

"You're never going to live it down, Cass." Jack said, patting her shoulder. "Just get used to it."

They all laughed before Sam inhaled. "Okay – Daniel's is the ribbon device, Jack's is the DNA modifier, and Cassie's is the clowns."

The other three looked at one another before they looked at Sam. "Three points."

"Yes!" She exclaimed as she moved her pawn three spaces.

"That wasn't fair." Daniel groaned. "Jack's was too obvious, Cassie gave hers away, and by elimination, you got mine."

She grinned. "Your turn..."

He rolled his eyes as he drew another card. "What is your best advice for how to make a million dollars?" He read from the card.

Sam, Jack and Cassie immediately began writing. Only a few moments passed before Daniel collected the papers and began to read them. "Eight years of hazard pay in a high-yield savings account."

He laughed appreciatively before turning to another of the cards. "Overtime."

"True story. If I made overtime for all the work I do overnight, I'd be a millionaire." He chuckled.

"You and Carter both." Jack said, shaking his head. He won an amused grin from Sam.

"What? You'd bankrupt the US with all of your overnighters."

"Ah...if only I were an evil genius." Sam teased.

"And last but not least, spend 2/3 of your time off-world, 1/4 of your time on base, and the remainder of the time in your house."

"We would all be millionaires if that were true," Carter said, shaking her head with a smile.

"Except me," Cassie said with a chuckle.

"True." Sam said, nodding. "But you'd be living with me, so you'd at least live like one."

Cassie grinned.

"You mean, you're not filthy rich, Carter?" Jack asked, looking over at Sam.

"Uh...no..." She said, shaking her head. "Thank you, Orlin."

"Why? What'd he do?" Daniel asked, curiously.

"Oh, he only...destroyed most of my appliances while he was staying with me, um...ordered weapons-grade uranium...and who knows what else. And all on my credit card. That bill was way bigger than what I paid for my whole house!"

"Ouch."

"Yep. Gotta love him." She said with a chuckle.

"You know, you could have the Air Force pay for that..." Jack said, nonchalantly.

"Oh, great...NOW you tell me." She teased. "Just when I'm down to the last $10,000."

He shrugged. "I could try to get it in retroactively, but that's tough..."

"I'm just teasing, sir." She chuckled. "The Air Force made most of it go away. But since they weren't too happy about the fact that I "housed an alien fugitive" from them, they made me pay some of it."

"Gotta love Simmons..."

"Yeah." She said tensing with the unpleasant reminders of that particular set of circumstances.

Daniel coughed to bring their attention back to the game. "Let's see...hazard pay – Jack. Overtime – Cassie. And...the whole thing about time off world – Sam."

Sam, Jack and Cassie all shook their heads.

"What?" He asked, surprised.

"I did the hazard pay." Sam said with an apologetic smile.

"Overtime was me." Jack said with a grin.

"I had to seem like I knew what I was talking about." Cassie said, shrugging.

"I can't believe this!" Daniel cried, throwing his hands up into the air.

"Sorry, Danny." Jack said, taking another card from the box. "Let's see..." He murmured as he rolled. He quickly moved his pawn, and looked at the card to choose the category. "Okay...Name one celebrity that has no right being a celebrity."

Sam was first in writing her answer. She slipped it to Jack, and waited for the others to finish.

"Okay," Jack said, as he accepted all of the papers. "Number one: Uma Thurman."

He looked up. "What? She's a great actress!"

Daniel and Sam both gave him a strange look.

"What?" He asked, noticing their looks.

"Two words," Daniel said, pointedly. "Celestial body."

Jack reddened. "Oh...right..."

Sam tried to hide a smirk as she noticed how embarrassed Jack had gotten with her answer. He'd probably know exactly who had written it, but the look on his face was all the payment she needed.

"Okay...number two: Paris Hilton." He read after a slight cough. "I have to admit – you have a point."

They all nodded in agreement.

"And...number three: Indiana Jones."

They all looked at Daniel. "It said celebrity. Not American icon, Danny." Jack protested.

"Who said it was my paper?" He defended.

"Anyone who has ever heard your tirade about Indiana Jones." Sam pointed out.

"All right, fine." He said with a sigh. "It was my card."

"And Carter said the Uma Thurman thing...to get back for everything I've ever done to her, I'm sure." Jack said, turning a look to his former second-in-command, who merely shrugged. "And Cassie said Paris Hilton. Am I right?"

They all nodded after a moment. "Yeah. You're right."

"Woohoo!" He grinned as he moved three additional spaces.

"My turn." Cassie said, reaching for a card. "What is your greatest hidden talent?"

Sam tensed as she looked at Jack, who returned her look. They looked away, blushing lightly as they realized that their minds had gone to the same thought.

Thank heavens Daniel and Cassie had been distracted by the game.

"You know," Sam said after a minute. "I'm...a little...tired..."

"Are you sure?" Cassie asked, almost disappointed.

"Yeah...I can go through the Stargate half a dozen times a day, and it doesn't affect me. I get on a plane, and I travel halfway across the country, and I'm exhausted. Who knew?"

Daniel's brow furrowed. "It's earlier in Nevada than it is here..."

She shrugged. "A phenomenon, I know."

"It is getting late, and we have a lot to do tomorrow." Jack quipped. "I mean, Carter and I have meetings, and you two have tourism."

"Which can wait until after we wake up." Cassie reminded them.

"They're tired, Cass. We'll finish the game tomorrow, I'm sure." Daniel said, shaking his head.

"Exactly." Sam said, nodding. "Tomorrow is another day..."

"Okay...well, you two take the bedrooms," Daniel suggested, looking at the women. "I'll take the couch."

"NO!" Sam insisted.

He looked at her strangely.

"I mean," she began. "Your back...You take the bedroom."

"I can stick it out a few nights, Sam. Trust me. I've slept on the ground for eight years, I think I can handle the couch."

"Why don't I take the couch," Jack announced. "You're all my guests. Carter can take my room, Daniel and Cassie can take the guest rooms, and I'll take the couch."

"You sure?" Cassie asked, curiously. "I mean, I'm the youngest..."

"And you're the one who's still recovering from a knee surgery." Sam insisted. "If anyone needs a bed, it's you."

"Does it say General on my uniform?" Jack growled, goodnaturedly.

"Yes, sir." Sam said, nodding.

"And is this my house or not?"

"It's your house." Sam agreed.

"Carter...my room now." He said, pointing.

"Yes, sir."

Daniel and Cassie exchanged strange looks as Sam followed Jack.

"What? I have to change the sheets!" He defended as he noticed the suspicion in their eyes.

"Maybe we should go to bed and turn the radio up really loud." Cassie stage-whispered.

Daniel shuddered. "It's never going to happen, but still...if I didn't know them as well as I do, I'd think they were sneaking off to sleep together..."

"You obviously haven't seen them together over the last several weeks," Cassie said, raising an eyebrow.

"Obviously not." He agreed before he looked up at her, confused. "Wait. What?"

"Jack's been visiting us every weekend. Except last weekend. Sam and I went to the spa."

"Every weekend?"

Cassie nodded as a peal of giggles came from the master bedroom.

"Um...on second thought..." Daniel grimaced.

"iPod?" She asked, offering him the small device.

"Thank you." He said with another shudder.


	24. Dress

Sam walked into Macy's in minor trepidation. She still hadn't found a gown for the function tonight, and though she'd brought her dress blues, she didn't really want to wear them. Especially since she'd already told Jack she wanted to dress up a little more often.

She walked down the corridor, trying to find the evening wear section. Only a few moments later, she arrived at it and sighed. So many gowns. She should have invited Cassie or even Jack to help her choose a gown.

She reached for her cell phone. With quick fingers, she sent off a text message. _What color?_

Just then, she realized that Jack may not have received the text message, and was probably in a meeting.

She sighed softly. She was probably on her own to pick the dress.

Her cell phone vibrated, and she picked it up. _For what?_ Jack's reply read.

_Dress for tonight._ She responded with a smile.

Jack would do anything to get out of a meeting.

A few moments passed before he responded. _Blue. Brings out your eyes._

She managed a half-smile. _Thanks._ She replied.

"Can I help you?" One of the sales associates asked, looking over at her.

"You wouldn't happen to have any blue evening gowns in a size eight, would you?"

"I think I might have a few things," the woman said with a wry smile as she walked over to the rack.

She might just manage to get a dress and get ready before the event began.

-

"Carter? You ready yet?" Jack asked as he knocked on the master bathroom door.

"Just a minute!" Sam called as she finished curling her hair.

"Daniel and Cassie are gone, and I want to get some good make-out time in before we have to show up at this thing."

Sam rolled her eyes. "Jack..."

"What?"

"You never rush a woman getting ready, sir," she teased. "Or didn't they cover that in your self-defense course?"

There was a pause, and she could almost see him smiling in her mind. "Actually, Carter...no, they didn't. Though to be honest, it would been a big help in college."

"Go figure," she laughed as she finished styling her hair. Makeup, check, she thought to herself as she studied her reflection in the mirror. Hair, check. Dress? Not yet.

She reached for the gown as Jack responded. "Go figure, what?"

"That it would take you eight years to admit that you went to college." She laughed as she slipped into the gown.

"Yes, well..."

"Let me guess," she said checking her appearance in the mirror as she put on a diamond necklace, matching earrings and a tennis bracelet. "You majored in behavioral psychology."

"Me? A shrink? No way."

She grinned to herself as she opened the bathroom door. "How else would you explain how often General Hammond let your irreverence slide?" She asked, standing before him.

"General Hammond felt the same way I..." He said, turning around from where he'd been fiddling with her garment bag. His eyes widened as he took in the sight of her in the sapphire blue form-fitting silk gown with a sweetheart neckline and a criss-crossed backline that fell softly to her ankles. "Wow."

She grinned. "You like?"

"If I liked it anymore, I'd have to marry it." He said, seriously.

"By it, do you mean the dress or the image of me in the dress?" She teased as she finally moved out of the doorway.

"Do we really have to go anywhere tonight?" The blues-clad General asked, sounding like a child.

"Yes, Jack, we do." She said with a pleased smirk on her lips.

"But..."

"Be careful, Jack," she teased, seductively, as she walked past him to get her shoes. "If you spend the evening undressing me with your eyes, people are going to be able to tell, and our gas economy cover will be blown."

"I've been doing it for eight years, Carter. And no one's caught me yet..." He murmured, absolutely distracted, as she sat on the edge of the bed, and gently slipped one shoe onto her graceful foot which was all-too familiar with combat boots.

"I have...on more than one occasion." She said with a sly wink.

She was so gorgeous, he thought to himself in a daze.

"Jack..." She called with an amused chuckle as she waved her hand in front of his eyes. "You still in there?"

He coughed. "Uh...yeah..."

"Come on," she laughed. "Let's go."


	25. Events

"Nice place," Sam said with a smile as she looked over at her unofficial date as they walked into the hotel lobby.

"Yeah." Jack agreed as he took her wrap from her shoulders.

"Thank you," she said as he checked his coat and her wrap at the coat check.

"I'll hold onto this for you," he said, showing her the claim check before he put it into his pocket.

"After all, there are few places I could put it in this dress," she teased as she suspended her small evening bag in front of him in jest.

"See if I ever try to be chivalrous again," he pouted, goodnaturedly.

She winked. "It's cute. Keep it up."

"Yes, ma'am." He teased as he led her into the hotel ballroom.

"Jack!" George Hammond greeted, warmly.

"General!" Jack cried, looking away from Sam surprised.

"Sam," General Hammond said, looking over at her.

"It's good to see you, sir." She said with a radiant smile.

"You look lovely," he said, seriously.

She blushed lightly. "Thank you, sir."

"Please, it's George." He said with a twinkle in his eye.

"What are you doing here, sir?" Jack asked, looking from Sam to the General again.

"I was invited." He said with a grin.

Sam looked over at Jack with a chuckle. "As was I..."

Jack coughed uncomfortably before he looked over. "I think I see punch."

Sam bit back a chuckle as he looked over at her. "White wine?"

"Please." She said with a winning smile as he left.

"I hear you're at R and D," General Hammond said, looking back at Sam.

"Yes, I am." She said with a smile.

"And you're enjoying yourself?"

"Very much." She said, nodding. "It's given me a little more flexibility to help Cassie."

"Help Cassie with what?"

"She was recently in a car accident." Sam said, soberly. "Her boyfriend was killed, and she had knee surgery. She's still in physical therapy once a week."

"Let me know if I can do anything." He said, seriously.

"I will." She said with a grateful smile.

Jack returned, offering Sam the wine glass. "Here you are."

"Thank you, sir." She said, returning a smile.

"How's Homeworld Security?" Hammond asked, looking over at Jack.

"Very...secure..." Jack said, taking a sip of his beer.

George laughed heartily.

"What about you, sir?" Sam asked with her own amused smile.

"Yes, sir, you haven't taken me up on my offer to let you borrow the cabin." Jack said, seriously.

George smiled. "I've been pretty busy with Tessa and Kayla."

"How are they, sir?"

"Growing like weeds." He said with a smile. "Tessa's graduating from high school in the spring."

"Is she that old already?" Jack asked, wistfully.

"Unfortunately, yes." He said, nodding.

"Make sure we get an invite." Sam said with a grin.

"We?" Hammond asked, looking between the two officers.

"Cassie...and me..." Sam coughed uncomfortably.

"Yes," George winked. "You and Cassie."

Sam turned an uncomfortable grin to Jack.

-

"I still can't believe you invited General Hammond to this event," Sam laughed as they walked in the front door of his townhome.

"I invited you, didn't I?"

"And I was completely useless," she laughed.

"Not useless," he teased, kissing her nose. "You were gorgeous."

She blushed. "Jack..."

"Welcome home," Cassie said from the top of the stairs, waving at the couple who quickly jumped away from one another.

"Cassie!" Sam said, looking up.

"Sam." She returned with an amused chuckle.

"Have a nice date?"

"It wasn't a date," Jack said, shaking his head.

"Right..." Cassie said, rolling her eyes goodnaturedly.

"We saw General Hammond," Sam said, changing the subject. "He wanted us to make sure and say hello."

"I hope you said hello from me too," Daniel said, poking his head over the upstairs railing to peer at the couple.

Sam walked up the stairs, holding the train of her gown to keep from tripping over it. "We did, and he wanted to offer his congratulations on your upcoming trip to Atlantis."

Daniel beamed.

"I, of course, told him that it would only happen over my dead body." Jack said, unbuttoning his jacket, removing his tie, and loosening his collar.

"Jack! We've been over this..." Daniel whined, following Jack into the kitchen.

Sam chuckled as she sat down on the couch and removed her shoes and earrings.

"Did you at least have fun?" Cassie asked, looking over at Sam.

"Yes, Cassie, I did." She said with a grin. "What about you and Daniel? I thought you were going to see a show..."

"Yeah, but my knee was acting up again, and Daniel suggested that we order Chinese and hang out here. Something about how Jack was paying for it all anyway..."

Sam snickered. "That's Daniel for you..." She laughed as they heard Jack's voice from the kitchen. "What do you mean you didn't go? I paid a hundred dollars for those tickets!"

"And that's Jack for you..." Cassie muttered wryly, winning an appreciative giggle from Sam.

"Knee feeling better?" Sam asked, sobering slightly.

"Yeah. I think it's just...gonna rain...tomorrow..."

"Can I get you anything? Ibuprofen? Ice?"

Cassie shook her head. "Nah. I'm headed to bed."

"Sounds like a good idea." Sam said, approvingly.

"Have a good night, Sam."

"I will, Cass."

The young woman stood and entered the kitchen, saying her good nights to the men inside before she headed down the hallway to the guest room.

Daniel appeared a few moments later, beer in hand. "Well, I think I'm gonna turn in."

"You sure?" Sam asked, surprised. "I thought we were going to try and finish that game from last night."

Daniel shook his head. "Nah. Let's face it, none of us have any hidden talents. We're too obsessed with our jobs."

Sam smiled as she nodded, wryly. "You have a point there."

"Good night, Sam."

"G'night, Daniel."

Daniel passed Jack. "Good night, John Boy," he murmured.

Sam giggled as Jack looked at the archaeologist's back in confusion. "Did he just "John boy" me?"

"Yep." Sam teased.

"Why I oughta..." He mock-growled.

"He's already in his room. He can't hear you," she said with an amused half-smile.

"Ah...what're ya gonna do?" He asked, shrugging as he sat beside her on the couch with his beer in hand.

"Exactly."

"Beer?" He asked, offering her a swig from his own bottle.

"Thank you." She said, accepting the gesture.

"So...Hammond..."

"Is a very perceptive individual." Sam said as she maneuvered herself into a position so that she could rest the back of her head on his shoulder as he rested a hand on her stomach, protectively.

"Too perceptive."

"Never been a problem before." She said, looking up at him.

"True." He said, nodding.

She wove her right hand fingers with his fingers as she sighed contentedly. "Tonight was good."

"Yeah." Jack agreed.

"And I felt pretty."

"You looked pretty." He said, kissing the top of her head, gently.

They were silent for a moment before Sam sighed, obviously fretting over something in her mind.

"What, Carter?"

"How long is this going to last?" She asked after a moment.

"Hm?"

"How long are you and I going to be able to do this?" She asked, soberly.

"Sit on the couch and drink Guinness..."

"You know what I mean," she reprimanded, gently.

"I don't know, Sam. A while yet, I hope."

"Me too." She admitted, softly. "It's nice."

"Yeah. It is."

She swallowed as she hesitated.

"What is it, Sam?"

"There's talk about sending me on a tour with the _Prometheus_."

"I know."

"It's a great opportunity..."

"It is."

"Cassie's getting along better, and I could check in with her from time to time."

"She is, and you could." He agreed.

"I don't know if I want to go." She admitted.

"It's a great opportunity," he reminded.

"I know."

"I'll be here when you get back." He soothed.

She looked up into his eyes. "Promise?"

"Cross my heart and hope to die," he assured.

"I'd be gone for three months." She continued.

"You could check in from time to time."

"I'd need you to make sure Cassie's being taken care of."

"Always."

"I'd leave in two weeks." She whispered.

"I'll be there this weekend." He promised.

Silence passed for a moment before she managed a small half-smile. "Thank you."

"Anything for you, Carter. You know that."


	26. Parents

The sun was shining as Jack pulled into the Arlington National Cemetery parking lot. He turned off the car before he looked over at Sam. "Here we are."

She managed a small, sad smile as she nodded. "Here we are..."

"You gonna be okay?"

"I told you once before," she said, softly. "My dad's death...it was time..."

"Still not easy."

She shook her head. "No. Not easy."

He reached over and held her hand gently. "You wanna talk about it?"

"Maybe when we actually get to his headstone... right now, I'm just..."

"Quiet? Pensive?"

"A bit of each, I guess."

"You wanna do this by yourself?"

She shook her head. "My dad's final piece of advice to me was not to let the rules get in my way of finding happiness," she said as tears moistened her eyes. "I want him to know that I took his advice."

"Didn't realize Jake was so fond of me?"

"Are you kidding?" She asked with a chuckle. "You're the only one who could call him Dad without him raising an eyebrow. Even Pete got this look from him that made Pete think twice about his choice of words. And that was a month before we were supposed to get married."

"I'm flattered."

"You should be." She said, tenderly.

"Come on, Carter," he said after a moment passed. "Let's go visit Jake."

She nodded soberly.

They walked slowly through the well-manicured cemetery, and Jack looked over at his silent companion. "Penny for your thoughts."

She managed an appreciative smile as she looked over at him. She bit her lip in a little hesitation before she shrugged. "My grandfather died when I was ten years old. He was also an Air Force general, and he was given a plot here."

He looked over at her as they walked, obviously interested in her words.

"My mom...she cried." She said, softly. "My dad – nothing. His father had died, and he didn't even shed a tear. At least, not so that I could see..."

She sighed softly. "I got so angry at him," she remembered. "And my mother came into my room, and she told me that everyone grieved in their own ways, and that even though my my dad hadn't cried as much as I thought he should, he was still suffering."

"Wise woman."

Sam nodded, emotionally. She and Jack had never talked about her mother.

"You okay?" He asked, looking over.

"I'll be fine," she managed. "I just...miss my mother."

He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, hugging her close to his side as he kissed the top of her head.

They walked in silence for a moment before she swallowed. "My mother and I used to go to the mall on the first Saturday of every month. Just the two of us. We'd get coffee, and we'd stroll through the mall, stopping every so often to go inside a store that piqued our interest. I guess...that's one of the things I love about having Cassie live with me. I get to do all of those things again. I get to share those things with her like my mom shared them with me, and like Janet shared with her."

He nodded soberly. He obviously had something on his mind.

"What is it?" She asked, looking over at him.

"You're a great mom." He said, softly.

She tensed. "I'm not..."

"You may not be Cassie's mom officially." He said, seriously. "But you don't have to be in order to act like one."

The tears that had moistened her eyes were increasing as she managed a grateful smile. "Thanks."

"Who knows? Maybe someday, you'll get a chance to do the mom thing from start-to-finish..."

"Maybe someday." She said, nodding.

"And I hope I'm there to see it."

"I'll hold you to that, Jack." She whispered with a gentle smile as they reached her father's headstone.

She pulled away from Jack and looked over at the headstone. "Hi, Dad." She whispered, softly.

"I'm...bringing someone home to meet you, although I think you'll recognize him. And I'm pretty sure that you'll approve." Sam said, looking over at Jack with a tearful smile.


	27. Packing

"So, what's going to happen when you get back?" Cassie asked, sitting on Sam's bed as the Lieutenant Colonel packed up her belongings.

"I don't know." Sam said with a shrug. "I'll probably come back here."

"What about you and Jack?"

"I'm sorry?" Sam asked, pausing in her work as she looked over at Cassandra.

"Come on, Sam, the trip to DC was far from a business trip."

Sam inhaled sharply before she nodded. "All right...it wasn't exactly a business trip..."

"That's what I thought." Cassie said with a grin. "So, you're together? For real?"

Sam nodded.

"That's great!" She cried, excitedly.

"We certainly think so," Sam laughed.

"You're going to miss Thanksgiving and Christmas." Cassie said, a little more soberly after a moment passed.

Sam sighed as she sat down on the bed beside Cassie. "I know. And I'll see what I can do to call you. But you've got some options. Jack wants you to come for Thanksgiving or Christmas, and Mark offered to let you come out and stay with him and his family for a few days for Thanksgiving or Christmas."

"What are Jack's plans?"

"He's probably heading to the cabin."

"I'll probably do that unless one of my friends invites me to go with them."

"Sounds like a plan."

"I'm gonna miss you, Sam," Cassie admitted.

"Oh, Cass, I'm gonna miss you too." She whispered as she hugged the young woman. A knock at the door, caught the women by surprise, and Sam looked at her surrogate daughter. "We don't have to answer that."

"You sure?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah."

"What if it's Jack?"

"If it's Jack, he'll either come in or he'll call." She said with a small smile.

"Carter? Cassie?"

"See?" Sam asked with a grin.

"In here!" Cassie called.

"Where's here?" He called.

"My bedroom." Sam called back.

Only a few moments passed before Jack poked his head into the bedroom. "Girl talk?"

Sam turned an amused half-smile over to him. "Nah."

"Packing already?"

She inhaled as she stood. "Yeah."

"Thought you weren't leaving for a week."

"Kind of wanted to get a head-start." She said with a shrug.

He nodded at the sensibility of her plan as Cassie's cell phone rang. "I'm gonna take this..." She said, walking out of the room as she answered the phone.

Sam watched her go before she looked over at Jack. "She wants to go to your house for the holidays if that's okay with you."

"Of course." He said, nodding.

"You look distracted."

He shrugged.

"You still okay with this?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

She sat down and patted the seat beside her on the bed, nonverbally asking him to sit beside her. He joined her, and she touched his knee gently. "What do you want to this weekend?" She asked, seriously.

"I have a few ideas." He said as his iconic grin began sneaking onto his lips.

"Seriously, what do you want to do? It's my treat."

"I want to...surprise you." He said, after a moment.

"What?" She asked, confused.

"I want to surprise you and Cassie. Tomorrow. The whole day is mine, okay?"

She nodded. "You'll have to check with Cassandra, but I'm all yours, Jack."

"Good." He said with a small smile.

She took his hand in her own as she leaned her cheek on his shoulder. "It's only three months."

He nodded. "Yep."

"I'm going to miss you," she admitted.

"I'm going to miss you too." He said, looking down at her. He handed her a small package. "I know you're not leaving yet, but...here's a farewell gift."

She tensed as she looked up at him, and accepted the package. She carefully unwrapped the flat package to find the backside of a black plastic frame. She looked at him, somewhat surprised.

"Turn it over."

She did so, and found a picture of him with a wide grin on his face. The picture had been taken when they had taken Cassandra to the park, and just after he'd offered the young woman a dog. "Jack," she said, softly.

"Don't want you to forget me while you're gone."

"I could never forget you," she said, softly.

"Just teasing."

"You're not going to give me even a hint about what we're going to do tomorrow?"

His eyes twinkled merrily. "No. But I am going to treat my favorite girls to dinner tonight."

"You spoil us, Jack." She said, leaning in to kiss him gently.

"And I'll keep on spoiling you if I keep getting thanked like that," he winked.

"Help me clear off the bed tonight, and I might give you some more thanks."

"Ooh...I like the way you think."

"You've always liked the way I think," she laughed.

"Yes, but this is one thought that I actually understand," he teased.

"Do I have to explain the theory of relativity to you again?" She asked, rolling her eyes goodnaturedly.

"No, that one, I think I've got now...I read a physics book."

"You read a what?" She snorted.

"A physics textbook," he chuckled. "And it explained the theory of relativity like a bowling ball on a trampoline."

"That's all I needed to say?" She asked, surprised.

"Yeah. Why?"

"That's pretty much the cliché analogy for the theory of relativity," she laughed.

"Ah."

She shook her head affectionately. "I love it when you come to visit," she said, cuddling up to him again.

"And I love coming to visit," he said with a faint smile of satisfaction.


	28. Breakfast in Bed

Sam stirred lazily the next morning. "Hm, I love Saturdays," she murmured as she rolled over. She reached out for Jack, only to find the bed empty beside her. "Jack?" She asked, opening her eyes.

"Morning." Jack grinned as he walked in through the door with a tray in his hands.

"You're up early," she said with a smile as she looked over at him.

"I told you I had a surprise for you," he said, sitting beside her on the bed.

"Breakfast in bed?" She asked, surprised.

"Only the first surprise of many." He said, affectionately.

"I think I like it when you visit." She grinned as she took a bite of the bacon.

"Good." He said, seriously. "Because I'm going to be here until you leave."

"What?" She asked with eyebrows raised.

He nodded. "I'm part of the delegate that's finding your temporary replacement."

"Ah." She said, nodding. "I forgot – that's your job."

He shrugged. "Any ideas?"

"I already submitted my report, Jack." She teased as she leaned over and kissed him. "And I'd rather not talk about work today. Not when you have so many wonderful surprises planned."

He grinned. "Promise me you'll wear your pajamas into the living room."

"Pajamas?" She asked, confused.

"Yeah."

"Are you kidding?"

"No."

She took another bite of bacon, somewhat puzzled by his request. "All right, Jack, you win. I'll wear my pajamas when I go into the living room."

"Great. It would just lose its effect if you wore regular clothes." He said with a shrug.

"Now, I want to know what the surprise is." She said with a grin as she set down her bacon.

"After breakfast," he assured. "And after I make sure Cassie's up and stays in her pajamas."

"What is the fascination with pajamas?" She asked, absolutely flabbergasted by his demand.

He grinned as he picked up the discarded breakfast meat and chewed on it himself. "You'll see," he beamed.

She shook her head as she studied him. "You're something else, Jack O'Neill."

He smiled as he took a sip of her coffee.

"Hey! That's my breakfast!"

"You're not eating it," he quipped as he swallowed.

"Give me that!" She giggled as she took back her coffee mug. "And I would eat it if you would stop distracting me with talk of this baffling surprise."

He laughed as he reached for one of her pieces of toast. "Good luck..."

She slapped his hand playfully as they heard footsteps. "Jack!" Cassie's voice cried from the living room.

Jack sighed. "Get in your pajamas. The college student just ruined the surprise."

Sam laughed as she saluted. "Yes, sir."

He threw her a pointed look, and she grinned. "Have to give you a hard time once in a while..."

He rolled his eyes as he stood. "Get dressed!"

She couldn't help but laugh as he walked out the door. "Cassie! Don't you dare say a word!"

She loved that man, she smiled as she quickly slipped into her most comfortable pajama set.

"Come on, Sam!" Cassie cried, pounding on the door.

"I'm coming!" Sam cried as she looked into the mirror and quickly ran her fingers through her bed-hair.

"You look fine, Carter!" Jack chimed in through the closed door.

Now, dressed and only marginally unkempt, Sam walked to the door and opened it. "What is it?"

"It's Christmas!" Cassie said with a grin.

"Cassandra!" Jack protested.

"It's what?" Sam asked, shocked.

"It's Christmas, Carter," Jack said with a small smile.

They followed her into the living room, and Jack couldn't help but smile as she gasped with tears moistening her eyes. All of her Christmas decorations had been brought out and expertly put up. A tree graced the corner of the room, and presents spilled out from underneath it.

Daniel and Teal'c stood beside the tree in the living room, and Sam had to blink away tears as she looked over at Jack. Without another thought, she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thank you," she managed, thickly. She kissed his lips before she looked back at the look of the living room.

With a look over at Jack, she slipped out of his embrace and over to Daniel and Teal'c, each of whom she hugged tightly. "This is the best Christmas-not-on-Christmas ever!" She announced as she looked back at Jack with an affectionate and grateful smile.


	29. Presents

"Sam, the last one, here, is yours." Jack said, retrieving the lone package from under the tree.

Sam blushed. "They've all been for me, Jack. Which is kind of embarrassing."

"We'll have Christmas again when you come back, and you can surprise us with it." Jack said, handing her a small box.

"And what a surprise it will be," she promised as she accepted the gift from him.

"I'm counting on it," he laughed. "Now, open your present."

She shook her head with a chuckle as she did what he asked. She looked at the box with an amused smile. "Jack..."

"What?" He asked with a grin. "You're gonna get bored!"

She laughed as shook her head again. She showed the box to her friends. "He got me a Sony PSP."

They all laughed, recognizing the humor in the gift.

She leaned over and kissed him gently. "You're something else, Jack," she said with a small smile.

"Yes, well...." He said with a proud shrug.

"So, how long are you able to stay?" Sam asked, looking over at her oldest and dearest friends.

"I may stay until you leave," Teal'c said, looking over at Sam.

"We'd love to have you." She said with a grin before turning to Daniel.

He shrugged. "I've got the weekend. Then I'm back to packing myself."

"Careful not to spend too much time on the base or Mitchell might come looking for you." Jack said, walking into the living room with two cups of homemade egg nog.

"Mitchell?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow as she accepted one of the cups from him..

"The new commander of SG-1. Lieutenant Colonel Cameron Mitchell."

"The guy who crash-landed in Antarctica," Daniel said in understanding.

"Yeah."

"He wanted command of SG-1?" Sam asked, confused.

"Nah. He got it by default." Jack chuckled. "He just wanted to join SG-1."

"You haven't told him that we're all going our separate ways, have you?" Sam asked, looking at Jack with a knowing smile.

"Maybe," he admitted with a smile. "Maybe not. I can't remember."

She shook her head with a laugh. "You're terrible, sir."

"You still call him 'sir'?" Daniel asked, skeptically. "After the kind of "thank you" you gave him when you saw the Christmas decorations, I would think you were on a first-name basis."

"Yeah, Sam..." Jack agreed, looking over at his girlfriend as he emphasized his use of her first name.

Sam blushed. "I...plead the fifth." She murmured as she took a sip of the egg nog.

"Eight years of working in the same place, and you have to ask her why she still calls Jack "sir"?" Cassie asked, defending Sam. "It's the same reason he still calls her 'Carter'."

"Indeed," Teal'c said, raising an eyebrow as he reiterated Cassie's defense.

"Yeah, it's habit." Sam defended. "And I'm not the only one who does it."

"Yes, but "Carter" is a term of endearment."

Sam threw him a look. "If you want to play that game, then calling you "sir", is just a teasing flirty game I play with you."

He laughed as he leaned into kiss her nose, and they shared the laugh that only two lovers can do justice.

"So, when did...this...happen?" Daniel asked, motioning between the two Air Force officers.

Sam looked at Jack as she blushed lightly. "Well...um..."

"It pretty much started when she became the director of Research and Development and I went to the Pentagon," Jack finished.

Sam nodded. "That's a good approximation."

"Well, good for you two." Daniel said with a grin.

"Thanks, Daniel." Sam said with a smile of her own.

"It's about time!" Cassie said, shaking her head.

"Indeed." Teal'c said with his iconic raised eyebrow.

-

They'd spent a wonderful day with the friends who had become their family, and Sam sighed contentedly as she finally retired to her bedroom late that night.

"It was a good day," Jack said, proudly as he followed her.

"Yes, Jack, it was." She said with a grateful smile. "And this unexpected Christmas surprise was the best present you could ever have given me."

"What?" Jack asked, retrieving a small package from his back pocket. "I thought this would be the best."

"You're spoiling me, Jack O'Neill." She said, blushing as she realized he had another present for her.

"Just grateful I can spoil you now." He said with a small smile.

She bit her lip as he handed her the slim, rectangular velvet box. "Jack," she whispered.

"You haven't even seen it yet."

She tensed as she finally opened the small box to find a small solitaire diamond pendant on a thin gold chain. "It's beautiful," she said, looking up at him.

"You don't have to wear it on the ship," he explained as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "But I wanted you to have a tangible reminder of how beautiful you are, and how much I love wrapping my arms around you."

"I'd rather have your arms around me than any number of diamonds," she whispered as she looked into his eyes.

"I know."

She inhaled as she felt tears well up in her eyes. "I'm really going to miss you, Jack."

"You'll be back."

She nodded quickly as she blinked away tears. "Of course."

"And we'll pick up where we left off then." He said with a supportive smile. "Wait here. I have one more surprise."

"Jack, please..."

He touched a finger to her lips. "I promise you'll like this one."

"I've loved them all, Jack." She said, softly. "But this is too much..."

He retrieved a small box, and offered it to her. "It's from Mark."

She tensed. "You called Mark?"

He nodded. "I told him you were deploying on a three-month tour."

"They're going to think I'm going to Iraq..."

He nodded. "Which at this point, is probably one of the best covers for what you're doing."

She nodded slowly.

"They wanted to be sure you got this before you left."

"How can you be so perfectly attuned to my every thought and my every need?" She whispered, softly.

"I've spent eight years studying you, hoping for this opportunity to show you how much I love and care for you." He said with a small smile before he broke his romantic character and laughed. "I'm sorry. That sounded like I was stalking you."

She chuckled softly. "No. It was beautiful."

"I love you, Samantha Carter."

"I love you too, Jack O'Neill," she whispered.

He retrieved something else out of his pockets.

"Do you have the North Pole in your back pocket?" She teased as he held some fake mistletoe over their heads.

"Maybe," he chuckled. "Now, we're under the mistletoe. That means you and I have to kiss."

"Well...if we have to," she teased as he leaned in to kiss her.


	30. Goodbye

The morning of her departure, Sam walked out of her room, dressed in her blues with a suitcase in her hand. She walked into the living room to find Jack, Cassie, and Teal'c awaiting her emergence from her room.

"Allow me, Colonel." Jack said with a wink as he took her suitcase from her and set it on the floor.

"Thanks, Jack." She said, trying to be brave about her deployment. She looked over at Cassie. "Don't you have class?"

"I want to see you off." She said, seriously.

Sam inhaled. "That would mean the world to me." She said with a shaky smile as she reached over to hug the young woman. She pulled away from Cassie, and looked over at Teal'c. "We've been through a lot together," she said as tears misted her eyes.

"We need not say farewell for there are many battles left to fight." He said, softly.

Sam chuckled as she wiped the tears from her cheeks. "And I'm already crying..." Finally, she wrapped her arms around him, and hugged him tightly. "I'm going to miss you, T."

"And I you, Colonel Carter." He said, softly, as she pulled away.

She managed a sad smile before she inhaled, and walked over to Jack. She noticed how Cassandra and Teal'c both left the room, and she looked up at Jack, biting her lip.

"Don't start, Sam." He said, seriously.

She laughed as she closed her eyes and allowed the tears to slip down her cheeks silently.

"Hey," he whispered, wrapping his arms around her.

"I'm going to miss you," she murmured as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I'm going to miss you too, Sam."

"I'm going to try to send you some messages or something. Piggy-back them on the reports..."

"That'd be fine. And I'll pass the ones that you want sent to Mark or Cassie or Daniel or Teal'c onto them."

"Thank you." She said with a small smile as she wiped at her cheeks.

"Kiss before you leave?" He asked, noticing her looking at her watch.

She grinned as she leaned in. "Of course."

She pulled away a moment later. "See you in three months," she said, her tears drying in her excitement as she reached down for her belongings and was beamed from her home.

Jack looked up with a somber smile. "See you in three months," he whispered, softly.


	31. VideoFeed

"Colonel Carter?" One of the technicians asked, entering the engine room.

Sam looked up from where she sat, working double-checking the specifications of the new hyperdrive. "Yes?"

"Colonel Mitchell is requesting a video conference with you at your earliest convenience."

"I can't do it right now," Sam said, looking over. "Schedule a meeting for first thing tomorrow morning?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Sam sighed as she returned to work. Undoubtedly, he was going to try to invite her back to SG-1.

-

It was only a few hours later before the tech returned. "Colonel Carter?"

"Yes?" She asked, looking up again.

"It's General O'Neill."

Sam sighed. "I think I have to take this one," she said with a wry grin.

"He is your superior officer, ma'am," the woman smiled.

"That he is," Sam chuckled as she walked over to the video console. "Nice to see you, sir." She greeted as she saw Jack's face on the screen.

"And you, Colonel." He said with a grin.

"How are things in Washington?"

"Boring as usual." He smiled. "And in space?"

"Never a dull moment, sir, with the new hyperdrive and the uplink problems, and all of that..."

"Has Mitchell tried to contact you yet?"

"Actually, sir," she said with a wry smile. "Yes, he has. Just this morning."

"You actually talk to him?"

"I made an appointment to talk to him tomorrow morning. I have a lot of work to get done today."

"So, I'm interrupting?"

"You're at the Pentagon, sir, you're allowed." She teased, gently.

"Ah." He said with a smile.

"What did you need, sir?"

"To check on your progress. It's been six weeks since you left, and I wanted to make sure you were on schedule."

"Yes, sir, we're on schedule. I'll be home in another six weeks."

"He's gonna ask you to re-join SG-1."

"I know."

"What are you gonna say?"

"That I'm gonna stay here until I'm finished, and go back to R&D unless they really, really need me."

"That boy is going to get himself into trouble just so that he'll really, really, need you." Jack laughed.

She chuckled, appreciatively. "Well, he'll have to talk to my boss." She winked.

"That's true." Jack smiled.

She inhaled, more soberly. "I sent a few letters with the last set of reports. You know, for the holidays..."

"Yeah, I sent them already. I'll forward the responses when I get them."

"Thanks, sir," she said, seriously.

"You're welcome."

"I should get back to work if there isn't anything else."

"Just..." He hesitated, and she smiled, knowing what he wanted to say, but what he couldn't say. "Me too, sir."

"Stay safe, Carter."

"I will, sir. Enjoy your holidays."

"I sent some stuffing in the last batch of supplies."'

"I know. I got it." She said with a grin.

"Enjoy it for me, okay?"

"Yes, sir."

"Bye, Carter."

"Good-bye, sir."

She turned off the video feed with a small sigh. "Lieutenant, can you get a print out of the last diagnostic? I need to take a look at it."

"Yes, Colonel."

"Thank you." She said, taking a moment to think about the unique family she had left on Earth.

Six weeks, she thought to herself. Just six weeks.

-

First thing the next morning, she turned on the video feed, sitting in front of the screen. "Hi, Cameron." She greeted as Cameron Mitchell appeared in front of her.

"Hey, Sam. It's good to see you." The Lieutenant Colonel said with a grin.

"Sorry it took me so long to get back to you." She said with an apologetic smile. "We have been up to our ears double-checking the new hyperdrive. And then the uplink was jammed with the long-range plotting program being transmitted by the Asgard…" She recognized the same techno-glaze that she'd seen on Jack's face for so long. "No need to bore you. How you been? You look good."

"Thanks." He said with an embarrassed smile. "Listen, Sam…come back and rejoin SG-1."

She laughed softly. "I heard you'd been given command. Congratulations."

"I'm not kidding." He said, seriously. "You can keep an eye on R & D in your spare time, just like you always have. Besides, Dr. Lee is pouting because you got the post over him."

Her brow furrowed somewhat confused. "Really?"

"No, I made that up." He admitted.

"I have my reasons for wanting this job." She said with a half-smile.

"I had my reasons for wanting THIS job." Mitchell reiterated. "One of them was working with you. And please, do not say, "that's nice"."

"We'll still work together." She assured.

"It won't be the same. What if the world needs saving?"

"Well, if the world needs saving, I will be there to do what I can." She said, seriously.

"What if the world needs saving because I screwed up 'cause you weren't here in the first place?"

She raised an eyebrow. Jack hadn't been kidding at how hard it would be to say no this guy.

"How about we pretend I didn't say that?" He said, sheepishly.

"Done." She said with a smile.

"Lieutenant Colonel Carter to the bridge." The voice announced over the intercom. "Lieutenant Colonel Carter, please report immediately to the bridge."

"Sorry, I gotta go." She said, looking into the video feed.

"Yeah. I'll buy you breakfast when you get back on solid ground."

Sam grinned. "You're on. Talk to you soon."

She turned off the video feed before she sighed and hurried to the bridge. Here came another emergency.


	32. Welcome Home

_Six weeks later:_

"Jack," a female voice whispered as something touched his shoulder. "Jack, wake up. It's me..."

Jack gasped as he awoke, raising his head from the pillow. "Carter?" He asked, blinking to try and clear his vision.

"Hi." She said with a grin.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, sitting up as he tried to wake himself. He looked at the clock. "At...three-sixteen in the morning..."

"I'm back." She announced happily.

"Back?"

"Um-hm. Done with my tour. Thought I'd surprise you."

"How'd you get here?"

"I had them beam me to these coordinates."

"Ah. Why didn't you just have them beam you to your house?"

"I wanted to make sure you got my...report..." She teased as she leaned in and kissed him softly. "I missed you."

"Missed you too." He said, still not awake.

"Go back to sleep," she smiled.

"Not if you're really here."

"I have a few days' down time before I have to report back to R&D." She whispered affectionately. "We'll catch up tomorrow morning over breakfast."

"Mph," he groaned as he let his head fall back to the pillow.

She ran her fingers through his hair with a smile as she kissed his temple. "I love you. You're crazy, but I love you."

She turned to leave, and he caught her hand. She looked back, and he moved his face from his pillow. With his eyes still closed, he sighed contentedly. "Nice to have you back, Sam."

"Nice to be back, Jack." She said with a soft smile.

-

The smell of coffee and bacon woke Jack the next morning, and he stumbled out of bed and into the kitchen.

"Morning, handsome." Sam said with a grin as she looked over from where she was scrambling eggs.

"Morning."

"Coffee?" She asked, offering him the cup she'd made for him as soon as she'd heard his footsteps.

"Yeah. Thanks." He said, still waking up.

"Eggs will be done in a minute, and the waffles are getting put in the toaster as we speak." She said, putting the frozen waffles into the toaster.

"Maybe I should send you onto the "Prometheus" more often," he joked as he took a sip of his coffee. "You come back all...domestic..."

She threw him a look before she chuckled. "I missed you."

She returned to her work as she heard the faint sound of Jack setting his mug on the counter, and was only mildly surprised to feel him slip his arms around her waist as she took the eggs off the heat.

"I missed you too," he whispered, his breath hot against her neck.

"Stop that," she murmured, in a contradictory contented tone.

"Why?" He asked, kissing her ear lobe.

She swallowed as she tried to keep control of her hormones. "Because you have work, and I have a tendency to burn things when I cook..."

"I have insurance." He whispered as he nibbled at her neck gently.

"And lots of responsibility." She murmured as she turned around and kissed him softly.

"I didn't get to welcome you properly."

"You can do that tonight after work," she reminded him as she nipped at his lips gently.

The waffles popped up in the toaster, and Sam turned away from Jack to put them on a plate. She carefully buttered each waffle before applying a generous swirl of maple syrup to each. A small drop of syrup found its way onto her finger, and she placed the sticky finger to her lips as she turned to offer the plate to her boyfriend.

"That's evil." Jack said, shaking his head.

"What?" She asked, looking up. Her finger was suspended by her lips in her surprise.

"You are SO sexy when you do that."

She chuckled softly before turning again. "Eggs?"

"Huh?"

She turned back to him with the frying pan in her hand. "Scrambled eggs?"

"Yes, please."

She served some onto his plate, and he leaned up to kiss her, gently. "Have I told you I love yet this morning?"

"That was most noticeably absent from your morning routine," she teased affectionately.

"I love you," he said, seriously.

"I love you too." She said, returning the smile.

She looked at the clock. "You should probably hurry up. You need to be at work in a half-hour."

"One more kiss, and then I'll go bring home the bacon."

"Okay," she grinned as she leaned in and kissed him with a lingering kiss before she pecked his lips once more. "For the road," she teased.

He winked as he finished drinking his coffee, and headed back to the bedroom.

-

Still adjusting to the time change from her time on the Prometheus to Eastern Standard time, Sam was asleep when Jack came home only a few hours later. "Carter," he whispered somewhat urgently as he gently shook her shoulder.

Her eyes opened instantly. "Jack?"

"You have to go."

"What?" She asked, perplexed.

"There's a situation, and they need a Mark 9."

"Rewind, Jack." She said, sitting up at the prospect of using nuclear ordinates. "Start from the beginning."

"The Ori. Evil twins of the Ancients."

"Okay."

"Daniel and Vala pissed them off, so they're coming to this galaxy on a crusade."

"Oh...good..."

"One of their lackeys – a Prior – is on a Jaffa planet in a forcefield. The Jaffa have lost contact with all of the Jaffa that were on the planet."

"That's terrible."

He nodded. "I think the best way to keep the Prior from doing whatever he's doing is to beam down a Mark 9 and take the Prior out of the picture."

She nodded. "Makes sense."

"They need you for that."

She sighed.

He handed her a ticket. "To the Springs."

"And I thought I was going to get some downtime," she groaned.

"I'll make it up to you," he assured.

"It's our job, Jack." She said, shaking her head. "I'm not...complaining...exactly..."

He kissed her forehead. "I'll go back to visiting you every weekend if you don't end up going back to SG-1."

"Am I being reassigned?"

"Not yet."

"You think I will be?"

"With another race of aliens and new technology?" He asked, honestly. "Hell yeah."

She tensed. "All right. I guess I have to go."

He hesitated for a moment as concern clouded his eyes. "Promise me you'll be careful while you're out there?"

"I promise." She whispered, seriously.


	33. Back

Sam walked into the briefing room, clad in her dress blues. She was back. And with a tactical nuke in tow.

"Jack…Jack, Jack!" Landry cried with the red phone in hand and his back to where she stood.

She had to smile at the thought of the twisted hazing Jack was putting Landry through. Though he'd been sad that their time was cut short, she had noticed an evil glint in his eye when he'd talked about "stalling Landry".

"She practically invented the Mark IX, and you're the one who thinks we should use the damned thing. Why are you wasting valuable time saying no?" Landry continued.

Sam could almost hear what Jack was saying on the phone as she stepped into the doorway of Landry's office. Something about Lee or Reynolds being able to handle it, she guessed.

"I've read enough of your SG-1 mission reports to know that there were times when no one else but Samantha Carter could have pulled your ass out of the fire. Well, this is one of those ti..."

He froze as he saw her.

"Reporting as ordered, sir." She said with a slightly amused smile and a slight nod.

Landry sighed, knowing he'd been had. "Yeah. She's standing right here. You're a funny man, Jack. Very funny."

Sam managed an uncomfortable smile as her new commanding officer hung up the phone.

"Let's get to work, shall we?" Landry asked, motioning to the stairwell from which she'd just come.

"Yes, sir." She said with an efficient nod.

-

Sam, now dressed in her mission gear, entered the Gate Room with General Landry as she heard Walter's familiar voice announce: "Chevron Four encoded."

"I promise you he's lying." Vala muttered to Daniel.

"About which part?" Daniel asked, curiously.

"All of it."

Daniel sighed, and Sam took the chance to observe the team. He and Vala clearly had some sort of bond. Whether it was mutual irritation or something else, she wasn't sure.

And it seemed that Vala had some very serious misgivings about the goa'uld, which was probably natural since according to Daniel, she'd been the final host to one of the most despicable.

"Chevron Five encoded."

"Yet we have been unable to dial the coordinates to Kellana despite several attempts." Teal'c said, responding to Vala's accusation that Nerus had been lying to them.

"Goa'uld don't do anything for anyone other than themselves." She retorted.

Sam had to admit, even just to herself, that Vala had a point there.

"Chevron Six encoded."

"Maybe it's in his own interest to stop the Ori."

Another good point.

"Chevron Seven still will not lock." Harriman announced, looking at Colonel Mitchell.

"All right," Landry said from beside her. "We've tried that long enough. Colonel Carter?"

"We've revised the original plan slightly to expedite matters." She explained. "The Prometheus is en route and will rendezvous with us at P4C-452. We'll proceed to Kellana from there. Now, considering their unique ability to maintain an active Stargate indefinitely and their force field capabilities, the President has authorized any and all means to complete the mission."

"Oh, boy," Mitchell murmured softly to the Jaffa beside him. "Here I was trying to have a 'nuke free career."

Sam tensed, nervously, as she watched Teal'c raise his eyebrow.

"We've been developing something at Area 51 that General O'Neill believes will be our best chance to stop them right here, right now." She continued.

"But you don't agree." Vala interrupted.

Sam hesitated for a moment. She and Jack had rarely seen eye-to-eye when it came to the use of nuclear ordinates, but right now?

"I agree we have to try." She finally admitted. "I just don't think it'll be enough."

"It's what we've got." Landry reminded them. "Questions?"

Vala raised her hand, and Daniel promptly put it back down for her.

"No, sir." Mitchell said, eying the unconventional couple.

Sam raised an eyebrow as she watched Vala pull her hand from Daniel as both turned away from one another like petulant children. She was going to stick with the mutual annoyance theory.

"Still no response from the Jaffa Council?" Landry asked, looking over at Teal'c.

"None as of yet." He reported.

"Well, we can't wait for Gerak." Landry sighed. "We proceed as planned. Chief, dial the gate."

"Yes, sir."

"Move out."

-

"Well, temporary or not, it's good to have you back." Daniel said, looking over at his long-time friend.

Sam grinned, grateful for the welcome. It felt good to be home despite the circumstances.

"How good is this?" Mitchell asked rather full of himself. "Got the band back together."

Sam looked back at Vala before she leaned into Daniel. "Yeah, so what's with the extra back-up singer?"

She was trying to be funny, but it was clearly ill-received since Vala sulked at the back of the group, and Mitchell rushed to defend her.

"Aw, she's good fun. Plus we figured if Jackson were to…"

He paused somewhat uncomfortably.

"Die." Teal'c finished.

"Yeah, that's the word. It would jeopardize the mission."

She looked at Daniel worriedly, though he didn't seem to respond. "When we spoke a couple of weeks ago, you said you thought the effect of the bracelets was wearing off."

"It was." He said with a matter-of-factness that he'd clearly inherited from Jack. "I just didn't want to put it to a test from the other side of the galaxy. So…"

Sam nodded as Vala coughed loudly to signal the fact that she could still hear them.

"Wow." Vala whined. "You're just dying to get rid of me now, aren't you?"

"No." Daniel shook his head, again in a manner of which Jack would be proud. "Not...dying to."

Vala walked past them up the ramp before she turned around to face the four. "Oh no, I know I'm not welcome here. Despite all my efforts to try and fit into your little stargating club, you can all rest assured that as soon as I can safely part Daniel's company without killing the both of us, I will."

Sam tensed as Vala winked at Mitchell and Teal'c before heading further up the ramp. She turned before the others could follow and pointed at Landry. "Oh, and you. You will wish you had listened to me when I said letting the Goa'uld come here was a mistake."

Sam managed an uncomfortable smile as she looked at Daniel and Teal'c.

"Get to it." Landry announced over the speaker. "And good luck."

"Right." Mitchell said, nodding. "Let's do this."

Sam swallowed before she walked through the Stargate which she'd spent so much of her life studying.

-

Colonel Pendergast approached, and Sam managed a smile as she saw the man with whom she'd worked for the last three months. With a snappy salute in tandem with Mitchell's, she greeted him.

"Request permission to come aboard." Mitchell said, as Pendergast returned the salute.

"Shaft! Welcome back to the Prometheus."

"Thank you, Colonel."

Sam raised an eyebrow as she looked at her new teammate. "Shaft?"

"My call sign. Cam…shaft."

"Oh." She said, nodding.

"Yeah, disappointing, isn't it?" Vala said, looking at Sam.

She tried to hide a smile, and Vala smirked in response as Pendergast picked up a phone receiver. "Flight deck, this is Pendergast. SG-1 is aboard. Engage hyperdrive and proceed to Kellana, best possible speed."

"Is the Mark IX ready to go?" Sam asked, back in business mode.

"Standing by for your systems check." He said, seriously. "I hear you're in a hurry."

"You heard correctly." Teal'c said, soberly, as they walked to the elevator.

"What is a Mark IX exactly?" Vala asked, looking at the team.

"It's also known as a "gate buster"." Mitchell said, matter-of-factly.

Gate buster? Sam asked herself, curiously.

"Mmm. Sounds big." Vala said as she looked over at Daniel.

"Some might say too big." Mitchell teased.

"Really?" She asked, still looking at Daniel. "I've always thought there was no such thing."

Maybe she needed to rethink that whole annoyance theory, Sam thought to herself as she looked from Daniel to Vala.

"Vala, this is a military vessel." Daniel said, catching Sam's questioning glance.

"I know, darling. I've stolen it before." She said, seriously.

"Well, just try to be uh…"

"My charming self?" Vala finished as the elevator doors opened.

"Just a little less talk; a little more, shut-the-hell up." Daniel said as they entered.

Sam tried to keep from laughing in amusement. It was like flashing backward in time to when she and Jack had been in the same chain of command. The only difference was the obvious flirtation and playfulness on Vala's part. Especially now that Daniel had begun sounding more and more like Jack.

Teal'c looked at her in confusion, and she offered him a silent grin as if to tell him that even he couldn't break her enough to find out what she was thinking at the moment.


	34. Reassignment

Sam inhaled as she walked into her old lab. It was so empty without the files that had been sent to Area 51. She sat down at the workbench before she rested her head on her folded arms.

The Ori Supergate had been shut down, but it had cost them a member of their team.

Sam may not have known Vala for long, or even understood her strange demeanor, but it was still sobering to think that this new war had claimed its first "Tau'ri" casualty.

"I thought you might be down here."

Sam looked up in surprise when she heard Jack's voice. "What are you..."

"Came to get an official briefing in person from Landry and SG-1."

She sighed softly.

"You okay?"

"Fine. I mean, I didn't know her..."

"I know..."

"Thanks for asking," she whispered with a grateful smile.

"You staying on the base?"

"Yeah. Until after the debriefing. Then, I'm headed back to R&D."

Jack tensed, and Sam noticed it. "What?"

"You're going back to R&D, but not to pick up where you left off." He said with a sigh.

"I'm being reassigned again."

He nodded. "Between the IOA, Landry, Mitchell, and the other officers at the Pentagon..."

"We knew this day would come." She said with a small shrug.

He nodded. "Yes, we did."

She heaved a heavy sigh. "This means I need to find another apartment..."

"I think I can take a few hours out of my busy schedule to help you with that." He smiled.

"I'd like that." She said with a grin.

"After all, if I'm going to be spending all my weekends there, I might as well make sure it's a place I approve of."

She shook her head with a chuckle.

"Why don't I take you out for dinner?" He suggested. "And maybe we can...find a place to celebrate your homecoming."

"Supply closet?" Sam teased.

"I was thinking seedy motel, but that works," he laughed.

"Hey, Teal'c, Daniel and I are headed for Szechuan. You wanna come?" Mitchell asked, poking his head into the lab.

Sam and Jack looked over, and Mitchell's face showed his surprise at the sight of the Major General. "Sir!"

"Mitchell."

"I didn't know you were going to be in town, sir."

"After what happened at Kelana?" Jack asked, seriously. "Once you were on Earth, I had the Prometheus beam me up for a briefing with General Landry."

"You like Szechuan?"

Jack looked at Sam for a moment before he shook his head. "Nah. Maybe some other time."

"Sam?"

"I'm good, thanks."

"Okay." Mitchell said, turning.

Sam looked at Jack as Mitchell left. "So...you came on the Prometheus, and that's how I got here too...how exactly are we going to get off the base?"

"Um..." Jack said as his brow furrowed.

"Commissary?"

"Why not?" He said, shrugging goodnaturedly.

"Let me guess. Cake?"

"No, I think I'll have pie this time." He said, pretending to take a moment to consider this for a moment.

She grinned.

"Let me guess...blue jello?"

"Actually, sir..." She said with a teasing smile as she sauntered past him with an extra sway in her step. "I think I'll have cake."

"Oh man, Carter..." He groaned as he followed.


	35. Change

Sam appeared in her living room with a small sigh. "Cass?"

There was no response, and Sam walked to her bedroom. Cassandra was probably was in class. She'd see her later.

The phone rang, and Sam reached for it. "Carter."

"Sam, it's me." Jack greeted.

"Hi, Jack." She said with a small smile.

"You told Cassie yet?"

"No, I just got home."

"Oh."

"What about you? Are you home yet?"

"Yeah. I have a meeting in a half-hour."

"You should get ready for your meeting."

"I'm all ready. Finished typing my report last night at the base."

Sam sighed. "I miss you."

"I miss you too."

"How is this going to work?" She asked after a moment's hesitation. "I mean, we have a new enemy on the horizon, and so, I'm not going to be the only one taking on a new role. I'm sure you'll have new meetings to attend and leaders to brief..."

"It's gonna work, Sam." He interrupted.

"How?" She repeated.

"I don't know." He admitted. "But it's going to. I promise you that much."

Sam heard the front door open, and she bit her lip. "Jack, I think Cassie's home."

"Okay. Call me later?"

"I'll try."

"Want me to call after work?"

"That would probably be best." She admitted. "I'm going to talk to Cassie, and then I'm going to start packing everything up."

"Let the movers do that. Enjoy your time with Cassandra and finish up your projects at Area 51."

She sighed. "Jack..."

"The Air Force is moving you, Sam, now enjoy it. That's an order."

She managed a small half-smile. "Okay, Jack. I will."

"Come hell or high-water, I'll be there this weekend, Sam," he said, seriously.

"I know you will."

"Maybe we can keep talking about this then?"

"That would be a good idea." She admitted.

"Then it's a plan. Now, go talk to Cassie."

"I love you."

"Love you too."

She hung up the phone as two arms flung themselves around her. "SAM!"

Sam smiled as she returned the hug from the energetic young woman. "Hi, Cass."

"What's wrong?" Cassie asked, noticing the look on Sam's face.

She inhaled. "I'm being reassigned."

"Reassigned? Where? Back to the SGC?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

"Forever?"

"Until the next transfer, yes." She said, nodding.

Cassie sighed softly. "Oh."

Sam wrapped an arm around the younger woman comfortingly. "I'm going to miss you, Cass."

"I'm going to miss you too."

Sam looked over. "You're going to be fine."

Cassie bit the insides of her cheek before she nodded. "I know...but I'm still going to miss you."

"I'm going to miss you too," she murmured as she rested her cheek against the top of Cassandra's head.

"I can still come and visit you on the weekends sometimes, right?"

"Always." Sam said seriously. "You're always welcome at my house. Holidays, weekends, anytime."

"What about you and Jack?"

Sam sighed before she managed a brave smile. "That's...what we're going to figure out this weekend."

"He loves you, Sam. He has for a long time now."

"I know, Cass." Sam said, softly.

"Don't let him go, Sam."

Sam looked over at the younger woman, trying to offer her a reassuring smile as her thoughts traveled lightyears away.

-

The knock on the door caused Sam to look up from her laptop and glass of wine. It was Friday night, so that was probably Jack, she thought to herself as she stood and walked over to the door.

Sure enough, there he stood on her porch, dressed in his dress uniform.

"Had to work a little later than usual," he explained as he entered. "Didn't have time to change."

"You're fine." She said, softly.

"You okay?"

"Just tired, I think." She said, shrugging off his concern as she closed the door.

"You've had a rough few weeks." He acknowledged. "Without any well-deserved downtime."

"We can't really afford downtime right now," she said, sagely.

"You and I are going to relax this weekend if it's the last thing I do," he said, seriously.

She smiled softly. "Yes, sir."

"You wanna go out?"

She shook her head. "I've been out too much. I just want to feel your arms around me."

"Why don't you find "Singing in the Rain" and pop it in."

She hesitated for a moment before she shook her head. "Uh..."

"It's your favorite movie, isn't it?"

She tensed. "Pete and I had a..."

"Say no more." Jack said, waving his hand. "I should have just asked you to choose a movie. We'll make it "our" movie."

"Uh...okay...any preferences?"

"Anything that wouldn't have you yelling at the TV like you did when we watched "Signs"."

"It's stupid to have aliens attempt any kind of invasion when they could be killed by something as prevalent on our planet as WATER! I mean, does ANYONE think that these presumably more intelligent beings wouldn't do their homework?" She cried, throwing up her hands in exasperation. "GAH!"

"Sam..."

She inhaled sharply. "I'm okay, I promise."

His face held an amused smile at the thought that she would actually finish her science fiction rant. "I'm gonna change, and then I'll be back."

"Okay. I'll try to find a movie."

"Let's stay away from anything...science-y, okay?"

She managed an embarrassed smile as she nodded. "Okay."

"Not that I don't love how well you do what you do, but..."

"But this is the weekend where we finally get to celebrate that we're on the same planet together."

"Exactly. Science rant is a DEFINITE mood-killer."

She chuckled as he walked down the hallway to her bedroom. "I'll pour you a glass of wine if you want..."

"Aw, what the hell? Why not?"

She smiled softly as she uncorked the wine and poured him a glass. Then, she returned to the living room, trying to find an appropriate "date-night" movie. She smiled as she finally made her selection.

"I broke the rule," she called through the bedroom door.

"Huh?" He asked through the door. Only a moment passed before he opened it, dressed in his Air Force tee-shirt and blue sweat pants. "What rule?"

"The no-science rule."

"Aw, Sam..."

"It's still a romantic comedy." She continued. "And though it's not at all historically accurate, I love it."

His brow furrowed. "Okay..."

She held up the box to show him the picture. "_I.Q._"

"What's it about?"

"Albert Einstein's niece."

"Einstein had a niece?" He asked, surprised.

"No." She said, shaking her head. "That's where we get into the historical inaccuracies..."

"Ah."

"But it's cute. I like it, and I think you will too."

"Why?"

"Because it's our story." She said, simply, as she walked back to the living room.

"Okay, now I'm curious." He said, following her.

"It's about a woman who's so focused on numbers and theories and science and everything that she doesn't know how to have fun. How to relax. How to love," Sam began, looking back at him. "And one day, she meets a mechanic, who is everything that she isn't. And even though the sparks fly at their first meeting, she stubbornly clings to the neatness and cleanliness of numbers and science until finally, after a great deal of coercion from her uncle, his friends, and this mechanic, she realizes just what she's missing."

"So...I'm the mechanic, and you're Einstein's niece?"

"For the purposes of the analogy? Yes."

"So Danny, Jonas and T are the friends?"

"I suppose so..." She said, puzzled by his tangent.

"Sweet." He said with a grin as he sat on the couch.

"Jack, I'm trying to be serious." Sam said, looking at him somewhat hurt.

"What?" He asked, surprised by her reaction.

She teared up. "I'm trying in my own, awkward way, to tell you how grateful I am to have you in my life, and you're making jokes..."

Jack sighed softly. "I'm sorry, Sam. You're right. C'mere."

She sat down beside him, and he wrapped his arms around her, allowing her to rest her cheek on his shoulder. "You're not awkward." He murmured seriously. "And I didn't mean to make fun."

"I'm sorry I got so sensitive."

"It's been a long and hard few weeks, Sam." Jack soothed. "It's okay to be sensitive. Reminds the rest of us that you really are human."

She chuckled through her tears.

Silence reigned for a few moments before she looked back at him.

"What are we going to do, Jack?" She asked, softly. "This...this won't work in Colorado. Not as well as it has here."

Jack sighed. "I know."

"I'll be off-world sometimes, I'll be staying on-base sometimes," she began.

"You'll be injured sometimes, you'll be out of the country sometimes," he continued.

"I may even be in a different time period than you."

"Or another reality." He said, nodding.

"It's not fair to put you through that." She said, softly.

"You said that once before." He said, seriously. "When you were thinking about marrying Pete."

She inhaled sharply as she remembered that encounter.

"I told you that I thought Pete could handle it..."

She nodded. "Yes, you did."

He swallowed for a moment before he continued. "Losing...Charlie...didn't just put me on a path where I could meet you, but..." He paused. "It taught me that I could handle anything."

She looked over at him as his eyes turned back to hers. "I know I can handle it, Sam. It won't be easy. It'll be hard, but I can handle it. And I'm in a position to demand a rescue mission if need be."

"Landry's good about not leaving people behind." She said, softly. "Like you and General Hammond were..."

"I know." Jack said, soberly. "But I still want you to be very careful when you're out there."

"Of course, Jack." She said, softly. "I've got you to come home to now."

"Good. Then, I'll tell Mitchell to be watch your six, and we'll be all set."

"Jack, leave the guy alone. He's a good officer..."

"I still don't like the idea of you going out there without me watching your six..."

"You didn't like it when you were commanding the base either."

"True, but when I was commanding the base, I still had a monocle of power to help you. In DC, I won't even know if something's wrong for a few hours or a few days until the report comes in."

"I'll call you before and after each mission." She promised. "Or at least email or text."

"Sam..." He protested.

"Jack," she whispered, placing a finger on his lips.

"I know I just said that I'd be okay, but the truth is..." He began slowly.

"I promise to be careful," she assured.

"Don't die, Carter. That's an order."

"And you know how I always follow orders." She whispered with moist eyes.

He wrapped his arms around her, kissing the top of her heart as he held her in his arms. "I've missed you, Sam," he murmured. "You'll never know how much I missed you."

"Not nearly as much as I missed you," she whispered softly as she looked up into his eyes.

They spent the rest of the night, holding one another in anticipation of how their relationship was about to change.

-

_Look for the sequel, "In Love and War", which will cover the events from the rest of the SG-1 series, the movies, Sam's tour in Atlantis, her tour on the "George Hammond", and the time in between._


End file.
